I 


/ 


/ 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

OUR    NEW    POSSESSIONS 
AND  THE  BRITISH  ISLANDS 


By  JOHN   r.   PARIS 

OLD  ROADS 
OUT  OF  PHILADELPHIA 

117  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  A  MAP 
DECORATED    CLOTH,   OCTAVO.   $4.00   NET 

The  roads  out  of  Philadelphia  are  the  most  historic 
in  America.  Such  names  as  The  Battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  Valley  Forge  and  Militia  Hill  suggest  the 
fascination  of  the  roads  leading  from  Philadelphia. 
The  author  presents  the  past  and  the  present  of 
ten  of  these  highways:  The  King's  Highway,  The 
Baltimore  Turnpike,  The  West  Chester  Road,  The 
Lancaster  Turnpike,  The  Gulph  Road,  The  Ridge 
Road,  The  Germantown  Turnpike,  The  Bethlehem 
Road,  The  Old  York  Road,  and  The  Bristol  Turn- 
pike. Profuse  illustrations  and  a  stimulating  text 
make  the  book  a  prize  for  the  walker,  the  auto- 
mobilist  and  the  local  historian. 

THE  ROMANCE 
OF  OLD  PHILADELPHIA 

IN  PREPARATION 
UNIFORM  WITH  THE  ABOVE 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

OUR   NEW  POSSESSIONS 

AND   THE   BRITISH   ISLANDS 


BY 


THEODOOR  DEBOOY 


y 


AND 


JOHN  T.  FARIS 

AtJTHOB   OF    "old    ROADS    OUT   OF   PHILADELPHIA,"    "REAL  8TOBIE4J    FBOU   OUB 
HISTORY,"    "makers   OF    CUB  BISTORT,"    ETC. 


WITH  97  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  6  MAPS 
ESPECIALLY  PREPARED  FOR  THIS   VOLUMB 


PHILADELPHIA    &    LONDON 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 

1918 


F 


COPYRIGHT,    I918,    BT   J.    B.   LIPPINCOTT   COUrANY 


PUBUSHB0    MAY,    I918 


PRINTED    BT   J.    B.    UPPINCOTT   COMPANY 

AT  THB  WABHINQTON  BQCARB  PUKSa 

PUILADBLPUIA,  U.  B.  A. 


PREFACE 

THE  authors  of  this  volume  have  tried  to 
put  into  concise  form  the  facts  concern- 
ing the  story,  the  present  conditions  and 
the  possibiHties  of  the  Virgin  Islands  of  the  United 
States  for  the  tourist  and  the  business  man  as 
well  as  for  those  who  must  be  content,  for  the 
time  being,  at  least,  to  make  their  journeys  to 
the  West  Indies  in  imagination.  At  the  same  time, 
the  attempt  has  been  made  to  weave  into  the 
fascinating  story  something  of  the  romance  that 
cannot  be  separated  from  the  thought  of  the  islands 
in  the  mind  of  one  who  has  had  the  pleasing  experi- 
ence of  spending  in  these  newest  possessions  of  the 
United  States  a  winter  that  was  the  culmination 
of  a  number  of  seasons  on  other  islands  of  the 
dreamy  Caribbean. 

The  absorbing  history  of  the  Virgin  Islands  is 
told  in  sufficient  detail  to  enable  the  reader  to 
understand  by  what  a  devious  road  they  came  at 
length  into  the  possession  of  the  country  to  which 
they  logically  belong.  Without  this  historical 
setting  it  would  be  impossible  to  tell  also  of  the 


r>^'>600 


PREFACE 

rise  and  decline  of  the  commerce  of  the  islands 
and  of  the  reasons  for  the  conviction  that  there 
is  a  great  commercial  future  before  them. 

The  book  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
chapter  on  the  islands  of  the  Virgin  group  which 
are  under  the  flag  of  Great  Britain.  Then  a 
chapter  of  definite  suggestions  to  those  who  are 
planning  a  trip  to  St.  Thomas,  St.  John  and  St. 
Croix  is  a  needed  supplement  to  the  portions  of 
the  book  which  tell  in  detail  of  the  attractions  of 
the  islands  and  of  their  great  value  as  a  resort  for 
visitors  from  the  United  States,  while  a  chapter  of 
condensed  agricultural,  shipping  and  banking  in- 
formation, quoted  from  the  government  documents, 
completes  the  volume. 

A  careful  study  has  been  made  of  such  litera- 
ture as  has  appeared  on  the  islands.  These  publi- 
cations are  described  in  the  Bibliography.  Facts 
gained  from  these  sources  supplemented  the  careful 
observations  made  by  Mr.  deBooy,  who  spent 
the  winter  of  1916-1917  on  the  islands  while  com- 
pelling them  to  yield  the  secrets  of  a  vanished 
race  which  for  centuries  have  been  buried  deep 
in  the  earth.  The  archeological  work,  of  which 
glimpses  are  given  in  the  volume,  was  conducted 
for  the  Museum  of  the  American  Indian,  Heye 
4 


PREFACE 

Foundation,  in  which  may  be  seen  many  specimens 
secured  from  the  kitchen-middens  of  the  Virgin 
Islands. 

Kitchen-middens  are  responsible  for  the  prepa- 
ration of  this  volume.  Having  become  interested 
some  years  ago  in  the  waste  heaps  built  up  at 
pre-historic  back  doors  which  the  archeologist 
calls  kitchen-middens,  I  welcomed  the  opportunity 
to  talk  of  these  absorbing  relics  of  the  past  pre- 
sented when  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
de  Booy  in  the  West  Indies,  where  he  has  spent  a 
number  of  winters  in  scientific  exploration.  His 
fascinating  stories  of  experiences  in  the  islands  of 
the  Caribbean  led  me  to  urge  him  to  write  this 
volume.  He  consented  only  on  the  condition  that 
the  book  should  be  prepared  jointly. 

The  acknowledgments  of  the  authors  are  due 
to  the  writers  and  publishers  of  the  books  and 
papers  named  in  the  Bibliography,  as  well  as  to  the 
"Geographical  Review,"  the  "Scientific  American 
Supplement"  and  "Forward,"  for  permission  to  use 
illustrations  which  appeared  first  in  these  periodi- 
cals, as  well  as  for  portions  of  the  material  which 
accompanied  the  illustrations. 

The  courtesy  of  E.  M.  Newman  in  granting 
the  use,  for  the  volume,  of  photographs  taken  by 

5 


PREFACE 

himself  is  acknowledged.  Mr.  Newman,  at  the 
time  of  the  transfer  of  the  islands  from  Denmark  to 
the  United  States,  was  in  Charlotte-Amalia,  gath- 
ering material  for  one  of  his  famous  travelogues. 

William  T.  Demarest  also  has  supplied  a  num- 
ber of  photographs  which  he  took  in  October,  1917. 
The  authors  thank  him  for  his  help. 

With  the  exception  of  photographs  otherwise 
credited,  all  illustrations  are  from  originals  made 
in  the  islands  by  Mr.  de  Booy. 

Especial  thanks  are  due  to  the  American  Geo- 
graphical Society  of  New  York  for  the  interest 
shown  in  the  authors*  undertaking.  The  splendid 
library  of  this  institution  was  freely  placed  at 
their  disposal  and  the  maps  used  in  the  volume 
were  made  and  compiled  under  its  careful  super- 
vision. And  grateful  homage  is  paid  to  the  kindly 
inhabitants  of  the  former  Danish  West  Indies,  who 
know  so  well  how  to  make  a  visitor  in  their  midst 
feel  at  home,  and  to  the  Danish  officials  who  ruled 
the  islands  when  the  Dannebrog  still  waved  over 
them. 

John  T.  Paris 

Philadelphia,  January,  1918 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  FROM  DENMARK  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  .     15 

Nine  nations  in  the  West  Indies — ^The  story  of  the 
elimination  of  Denmark — Why  the  treaty  of  1867 
failed — ^The  Dannebrog  gives  way  to  the  Stars  and 
Stripes — ^The  value  of  the  American  purchase — 
Provision  for  the  government  of  the  islands — Future 
possible  purchases  and  what  they  would  mean  to 
the  United  States  and  the  Panama  Canal. 

II.  GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS  .    .     34 

The  story  told  by  old  pottery — The  naming  of  the 
islands — ^Natives  attack  the  soldiers  of  Columbus 
— Extermination  of  the  natives  and  the  coming  of 
Europeans — ^The  emancipation  of  the  slaves. 

III.  ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 46 

Ups  and  downs  of  the  first  colonists — Governor 
Iversen's  stringent  regulations — When  sugar  dis- 
placed tobacco — "On  the  way  to  every  other  place'* 
— Bombarding  a  cliff  instead  of  a  ship — ^The  color 
scheme  of  Charlotte-Amalia — ^The  signalman's  di- 
lemma— ^A  healthy  island's  most  fatal  disease — The 
night  of  the  hurricane. 

IV.  RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA     .     70 

Picturesque  coal  carriers — Why  English  is  the  popu- 
lar language — How  the  "  reconciling-court "  dis- 
courages Ktigation — Churches  and  schools — Streets, 
gutters  and  hills — The  fables  of  four  hill  tops — 
Buccaneers,  Blackbeard  and  Bluebeard — Why  the 
guns  were  fired — Hospitality  and  flowers — Water 
front  activity. 


CONTENTS 

V.  THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS     ...     98 

To  "Ma  Folie"  on  pony  back — Finding  hidden 
treasures  on  the  shores  of  Magens  Bay — What  the 
kitchen-middens  revealed — An  abandoned  sugar 
estate  and  a  ruined  mission  station — ^A  hunters' 
paradise — More  abandoned  estates  and  a  haunted 
ruin — Curious  cemetery  ornaments — The  "grave- 
yard of  ships"  and  a  ghostly  array  of  figure-heads 
— Escaping  slaves  and  picturesque  "cha-chas." 

VI.  THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN  ...  123 

In  the  days  of  Company  rule — ^Adventures  of  the 
first  settlers — Encouragements  to  growers  of  sugar- 
cane— ^The  harsh  measures  that  incited  a  slave 
insurrection — A  captured  fort,  a  siege  relieved,  and 
guerilla  warfare — ^The  aftermath  of  the  rebellion 
— Increasing  population. 

VII.  AROUND  ST.   JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST 

LINE 134 

The  physical  features  of  St.  John  -Marketing  by 
sailboat — The  naming  of  K.  C.  Bay — The  mistake 
of  the  Coral  Bay  boomers — An  attractive  climate 
— An  island  whose  prosperous  days  are  in  the  future. 

VIII.  THE    CINDERELLA    OF    THE    VIRGIN 
ISLANDS 144 

Reminders  of  former  riches — Commercial  and  agri- 
cultural possibilities — The  making  of  bay  rum — 
Cattle  raising  and  fishing — The  story  of  the  petro- 
glyphs — Scenery  and  ruins  to  delight  the  visitor — 
The  cross  at  Reef  Bay — ^Legends  of  slavery  days 
— Treasures  of  old  furniture — The  possibilities  of 
St.  John. 
8 


CONTENTS 

IX.  THE  CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX  172 

Why  the  tongues  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  men 
became  "bigge" — A  subtle  method  of  poisoning — 
A  joint  occupation  that  led  to  murder — A  startling 
succession  of  owners,  plots,  and  counterplots — A 
bluff  that  succeeded — A  visitor  who  died  of  morti- 
fication— ^A  conflagration  that  promoted  health — 
An  abandoned  island  rescued  by  Denmark — ^A 
symbolic  transfer  of  titles — Out  of  the  clutches  of 
an  exploiting  company. 

X.  THE  STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX  ...    190 

Slave  insurrections — Freeing  the  slaves — The  fight 
for  unconditional  freedom — Teaching  the  negroes 
to  work — Quieting  the  rioters  of  1878 — Deahng 
with  disgruntled  laborers — Improving  industrial 
conditions — Prosperity  and  increased  wages — Giv- 
ing the  natives  their  due — Physical  features  of  the 
island — ^Remarkable  fertility  of  the  soil. 

XI.  THE  CHARACTER  AND  THE  POSSIBILITIES 

OF  ST.  CROIX 200 

The  hurricane  of  1772 — ^Alexander  Hamilton's 
famous  description — Sugar  cultivation  and  sea- 
island  cotton  possibilities — Suggestions  for  increased 
production — Cattle  raising  and  fine  horses. 

XII.  ON  "THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES"  .  211 

Frederiksted  and  Christiansted — ^The  bustle  of 
steamer  day — Island  communication,  steamers  and 
saiHng  vessels — The  romantic  story  of  the  Vigilant 
— Alexander  Hamilton,  the  Christiansted  clerk — 
Roads  and  motor  cars — The  ruins  on  the  sugar 
plantations — Why  deer  are  plenty — Columbus'  tree- 
growing  oysters — What  the  excavator  learns  from 
kitchen-middens. 


CONTENTS 

XIII.  A  VISIT  TO  THE  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS  231 

Buccaneers  and  rebels — A  ruler  who  is  jack-of-all- 
trades — Tortola  and  the  surrounding  cays — Why 
the  sailors  of  Jost  Van  Dyke  drown — Victims  of  the 
proprietors — The  attractions  of  Tortola — The  di- 
verting story  of  Audain — Virgin  Gorda  and  its 
peninsulas — Anegada,"the  Drowned  Island'* — Men 
who  live  on  shipwrecks. 

XIV.  HINTS  FOR  THE  TOURIST 247 

The  clothing  a  man  should  carry  with  him — What 
the  woman  visitor  needs — Why  silks  are  useless — 
Routes  and  rates  of  fare — ^Hotels  and  boarding 
houses — Other  advantages — The  land  where  sou- 
venirs are  unknown. 

XV.  DETAILED  AGRICULTURAL,  COM- 
MERCIAL, SHIPPING  AND  BANKING 
INFORMATION 256 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 284 

INDEX 289 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

View  of  Charlotte- Amalia Frontispiece 

United    States    Sailors    Landing    at    Charlotte- 

Amalia 24 

Landing  Dock,  Charlotte- Amalia 25 

Cowell's  Battery 30 

Christian's  Fort,  Charlotte- Amalia 30 

Christian's  Fort,  from  the  Harbor 31 

Danish  Cruiser  " Valkyrien" . ■ 31 

Mosquito  Bay,  St.  Thomas 40 

Water  Bay  and  Native   40 

Aboriginal  Pottery 41 

North  Coast  of  St.  Thomas 41 

St.  Thomas  Harbor  and  Charlotte-Amalia 52 

Entrance  to  St.  Thomas  Harbor 53 

Front  Entrance  of  Christian's  Fort 58 

Signal  Station,  Top  of  Cowell's  Battery 58 

Battlements  of  Christian's  Fort 59 

Coaling  Wharf  of  the  West  India  Company,  Ltd.  59 

Canaan  Estate  House,  after  the  Hurricane 68 

Hamburg- American  Line  Offices  and  Dredge,  *' St. 

Hilda" 68 

Firing  Time-Gun  Battery,  Charlotte-Amalia 69 

Lutheran  Church,  Charlotte-Amalia 69 

Blackbeard's  Castle  (wood-cut  in  text) 69 

A  Hilly  Street,  Charlotte-Amalia 72 

Typical  Coal  Carriers,  Charlotte-Amalia 73 

Custom  House  and  Post  Office,  Charlotte-Amalia  73 

Reformed  Dutch  Church,  Charlotte-Amalia 78 

11 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Christ  Church,  Wesleyan,  Charlotte- Amalia 78 

Memorial  Church,  Moravian,  Charlotte- Amalia  . .  79 

All  Saints'  Anglican  Church,  Charlotte- Amalia  . .  79 
Ballroom,     Governor's      Residence,     Charlotte- 

Amalia 82 

Residence  of  Governor  and  Administration  Build- 
ing, Charlotte- Amalia 83 

Old  Residence  and  Gateway,  Charlotte- Amalia  . .  98 

Panoramic  View  of  St.  Thomas  Harbor 99 

Mountain  Path  Leading  to  Ma  Folie,  St.  Thomas.  .  102 

Panoramic  View  of  Magens  Bay,  St.  Thomas 103 

Cross  Section  of  Aboriginal  Mound,  Magens  Bay, 

St.  Thomas 106 

King  Road,  Near  Magens  Bay 106 

Clearing  Land  by  Fire,  Magens  Bay 107 

Laborers  Excavating,  Magens  Bay 107 

Ruins  of  Stairway,  New  Hernhut,  St.  Thomas..  .  110 

Ruins  of  New  Hernhut 110 

Ruins  of  Mandal  Estate,  St.  Thomas Ill 

Negro  Fishing  with  Casting  Net Ill 

A  "Gut"  and  Street  Made  Like  a  Stairway,  St. 

Thomas 116 

Native   Grave   Ornamented   with   Conch   Shells, 

St.  Thomas 116 

Figure-Heads  in  Krum  Bay  Shipyard 117 

Krum  Bay  with  Shipyard  and  Coconut  Trees  De- 
stroyed BY  Hurricane 117 

Cruz  Bay  Settlement  and  Government  Station  ...  124 

Moravian  Settlement  of  Emmaus,  St.  John 125 

Ruin  of  K.  C.  Bay  Sugar  Estate,  St.  John 136 

Fort  Frederiksted,  St.  Croix 136 

Coral  Bay,  Tortola  (British)  in  Distance 137 

Ram's  Head,  South  Coast,  St.  John 148 

East  End,  St.  John 149 

12 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Bay-oil  Still,  St.  John 149 

Hospitable  Congo  Cay,  St.  John 156 

The  Only  Landing  Place  on  Congo  Cay 156 

Privateeb  Bay,  St.  John 157 

Buildings  on  Caroline  Estate  and  Bay-oil  Still, 

St.  John 157 

Petroglyphs  on  Congo  Cay 164 

The  Caroline  Estate,  House  and  Pasture,  St.  John  164 

The  Cross  That  is  Not  a  Cross,  Reef  Bay,  St.  John  165 

Indian  Petroglyphs,  Reef  Bay 165 

Wharf  and  Old  Fort,  Coral  Bay,  St.  John 170 

Hermitage  Estate,  St.  John 170 

A  Native  Family 188 

Danish  Sugar  Mill,  St.  Croix 189 

A  School  in  St.  Croix 189 

Street  Scene  in  Frederiksted 201 

Wharf,  Christiansted,  St.  Croix 212 

Wharf   with    Cargo   from   Coaling    Steamer,   St. 

Croix 213 

Street  in  Frederiksted,  St.  Croix 218 

Lutheran      Church      and       Adjoining      Houses, 

Christiansted,  St.  Croix 219 

Schooner    "Vigilant"   at   Wharf,    Christiansted, 

'  St.  Croix 219 

Reef  at  Mouth  of  Salt  River,  St.  Croix 226 

Roots  of  Mangrove   Tree,    with    Oysters,    Salt 

River 226 

Aboriginal  Pottery  Vessel  as  Found  in  the  Earth  227 
Typical  Old  Watch  House  on  Sugar  Estate,  St. 

Croix 227 

Panoramic  View  from  St.  John  of  Jost  Van  Dyke 

and  Tortola  Islands  (British) 232 

Bays  on  North  Coast  of  St.  John,  with  Thatch 

Island  and  Jost  Van  Dyke  (British)  in  Distance  233 

13 


% 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  British  Island  of  Tortola,  from  St.  John  . . .  242 

Turn-out  with  Native  Driver 243 

North  Coast  of  St.  Thomas,  with  Thatch  Island 
AND  British   Islands    of   Tobago    and    Little 

Tobago  in  Distance 243 

Bluebeard's  Castle  at  Top  of  Luchetti's  Hill, 

Charlotte-Amalia,  St.  Thomas 248 

The  Barracks,  Charlotte-Amalia 248 

In  the  Market  Place,  Charlotte-Amalia 249 

Governor's     Residence     on     Government     Hill, 

Charlotte-Amalia 252 

Grand  Hotel,  Charlotte- A^ialia 253 

The  Main  Street,  Charlotte-Amalia 260 

A  Business  Street  in  Charlotte-Amalia 261 

On  the  Shore,  Charlotte-Amalia 266 

U.  S.  S.  **  Itasca,"  on  the  Floating  Dock,  St.  Thomas  267 

Street  in  Front  of  Government  House,  Charlotte- 
Amalia  267 

Water  Front  Entrance  to  Christian's  Fort,  and 
Balcony  of  Residence  in  the  Fort,  Charlotte- 
Amalia  272 

Road  in  Front  of  Christian's  Fort  and  Typical 

St.  Thomas  Cab,  Charlotte-Amalia 273 

Colonial  Bank  and  Main  Street,  Charlotte- 
Amalia  273 

The  Market  Place,  Charlotte-Amalia 276 

MAPS 

FACING    PAGE 

The  West  Indies 15 

The  Virgin  Islands 35 

St.  Thomas 47 

St.  John 135 

St.  Croix 173 


/ 


THE  VIRGIN   ISLANDS 

CHAPTER  I 
FROM  DENMARK  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES 

NINE  NATIONS  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES— THE  STORY  OF  THE 
ELIMINATION  OF  DENMARK— WHY  THE  TREATY  OF  1867 
FAILED— THE  DANNEBROG  GIVES  WAY  TO  THE  STARS  AND 
STRIPES— THE  VALUE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  PURCHASE— PRO- 
VISION FOR  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  ISLANDS— FUTURE 
POSSIBLE  PURCHASES  AND  WHAT  THEY  WOULD  MEAN  TO 
THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  THE  PANAMA  CANAL 

UNTIL  1898  nine  nations  were  represented 
in  the  West  Indies.  Of  these,  Spain, 
Great  Britain,  France,  the  Netherlands 
and  Denmark  were  European  nations;  Hayti, 
Santo  Domingo,  Venezuela  and  the  United  States, 
were  American  nations.  The  latter  two  are  in- 
cluded in  this  list,  as  the  peninsula  of  Florida  may 
rightly  be  said  to  belong  to  the  Antillean  area, 
whereas  Venezuela  can  claim  to  belong  to  the 
West  Indies  by  the  fact  that  it  owns  the  islands 
of  Margarita,  Coche,  Cubagua,  and  a  few  other 
unimportant  cays,  all  of  which  lie  in  the  Caribbean 
Sea. 

On   the   conclusion   of   the   Spanish-American 

war,  the  United  States  took  the  place  of  Spain  in 

15 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Porto  Rico,  and  a  new  nation,  the  Republic  of 
Cuba,  was  created.  By  the  ceding  of  its  American 
colonial  possessions,  Spain  was  eliminated  as  a 
European  nation  holding  colonies  in  the  American 
hemisphere. 

On  March  31,  1917,  the  United  States  took 
formal  possession  of  the  Danish  West  Indies,  by 
far  the  larger  portion  of  the  Virgin  Islands.  The 
history  of  the  sale  and  the  transfer  of  these  islands 
is  somewhat  involved. 

During  the  Civil  War  in  the  United  States  the 
lack  of  a  naval  station  in  the  West  Indies  was  a 
serious  hindrance  to  those  who  sought  to  prevent 
the  blockade-running  of  the  Southern  States. 
Consequently,  on  the  conclusion  of  the  war, 
American  diplomats  sought  to  secure  a  stronghold 
in  the  Caribbean.  The  Danish  West  Indies  were 
chosen  as  a  likely  spot,  partly  because  it  was  felt 
that  Denmark — owing  to  the  reverses  which  this 
small  nation  had  undergone,  and  the  losses  which 
she  had  suffered  in  her  war  with  Prussia — might 
be  induced  to  welcome  the  sale  with  open  arms. 
Mr.  Seward,  who  was  then  Secretary  of  State  of 
the  United  States,  secured  a  preliminary  survey 
of  the  islands  in  1866.  After  a  personal  visit  he 
16 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

seemed  more  determined  than  ever  to  obtain 
St.  Thomas  and  St.  John  for  the  United  States, 
and  he  was  prepared  to  pay  for  these  islands 
$5,000,000.  St.  Croix  was  regarded  as  a  separate 
venture,  and  was  offered  for  a  Hke  amount,  on 
condition  that  the  government  of  France,  which 
might  object  to  the  sale  owing  to  the  conditions 
of  a  treaty  made  in  1733,  should  allow  the 
transfer  to  take  place. 

At  last,  in  October  1867,  a  treaty  was  concluded 
for  the  purchase  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John  for 
$7,500,000,  subject  to  the  consent  of  both  the 
Danish  Landsthing  (Senate)  and  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  A  popular  vote  was  taken  on  the 
islands  to  see  if  the  inhabitants  were  desirous  of 
transferring  their  allegiance  to  a  new  flag.  When 
the  returns  were  counted  the  inhabitants,  by  the 
practically  unanimous  vote  of  1244  to  22,  showed 
their  approval  of  the  proposed  transfer.  The 
Danish  Parliament  then  consented  to  the  treaty, 
and  nothing  was  required  to  complete  the  sale 
but  a  ratification  by  the  United  States  Senate. 

In  fact,  the  proposed  sale  seemed  so  certain 
that  on  November  27,  1867,  the  following  royal 
proclamation  appeared  in  the  St.  Thomas  *'Tid- 
2  17 


>>^-  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

ende,"    the   paper   which   published    the   oflScial 
government  notices: 

We,  Christian  the  Ninth, 

By  the  Grace  of  God,  King  of  Denmark,  the  Van- 
dals and  the  Goths,  Duke  of  Sleswig,  Holstein,  Storn- 
mam,  Ditmarsh,  Lauenborg  and  Oldenborg.  Send  to 
Our  beloved  and  faithful  Subjects  in  the  Islands  of 
St.  Thomas  and  St.  John  Our  Royal  Greeting. 

We  have  resolved  to  cede  Our  Islands  of  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  John  to  the  United  States  of  America,  and  We 
have  to  that  end,  with  the  reservation  of  the  consti- 
tutional consent  of  Our  Rigsdag,  concluded  a  conven- 
tion with  the  President  of  the  United  States.  We  have, 
by  embodying  in  that  convention  explicit  and  precise 
provisions,  done  Our  utmost  to  secure  to  You  protec- 
tion in  Your  liberty,  Your  religion.  Your  property  and 
private  rights,  and  You  shall  be  free  to  remain  where 
you  now  reside,  or  to  remain,  retaining  the  property 
which  You  possess  in  the  said  Islands  or  disposing 
thereof  and  removing  the  proceeds  wherever  You 
please,  without  Your  being  subjected  on  this  account 
to  any  contribution,  charge,  or  tax  whatever. 

Those  who  shall  prefer  to  remain  in  the  Islands, 

may  either  retain  the  title  and  the  rights  of  their  natural 

allegiance  or  acquire  those  of  Citizens  of  the  United 

States,  but  they  shall  make  their  choice  within  two 

18 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

years  from  the  date  of  the  exchange  of  ratifications  of 
said  convention,  and  those  who  shall  remain  on  the 
Islands  after  the  expiration  of  that  term  without  having 
declared  their  intention  to  retain  their  natural  allegi- 
ance, shall  be  considered  to  have  chosen  to  become 
citizens  of  the  United  States. 

As  We,  however,  will  not  exercise  any  constraint  over 
Our  faithful  subjects.  We  will  give  You  the  opportunity 
of  freely  and  extensively  expressing  your  wishes  in  regard 
to  this  cession,  and  We  have  to  that  effect  given  the  nec- 
essary instructions  to  Our  Commissioners  Extraordinary. 

With  sincere  sorrow  do  we  look  forward  to  the 
severing  of  those  ties  which  for  many  years  have  united 
You  to  Us,  and  never  forgetting  those  many  demon- 
strations of  loyalty  and  affection  We  have  received 
from  You,  We  trust  that  nothing  has  been  neglected 
on  Our  side  to  secure  the  future  welfare  of  Our  beloved 
and  faithful  Subjects,  and  that  a  mighty  impulse,  both 
moral  and  material,  will  be  given  to  the  happy  develop- 
ment of  the  Islands,  under  the  new  Sovereignty. 

Commending  you  to  God ! 

Given   at   Our  Palace  of  Amalienborg,   the  25th 

October  1867. 

Under  Our  Royal  Hand  and  Seal. 

Christian  R. 
L.  S. 

Royal    Proclamation    to    the    Inhabitants    of 

St.  Thomas  and  St.  John. 

19 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

But  the  treaty  was  deliberately  pigeon-holed 
in  the  Senate,  owing  to  internal  dissent  for  which 
Senator  Charles  Sumner  was  principally  respon- 
sible, probably  at  least  in  part,  because  of  his 
personal  enmity  towards  President  Johnson.  Den- 
mark granted  an  extension  of  time  for  the  ratifi- 
cation of  the  sale,  but  the  matter  was  not  again 
taken  up,  despite  the  efforts  of  Secretary  Seward 
and  of  his  successor,  Secretary  Fish.  Finally,  on 
April  14,  1870,  the  proposed  treaty  lapsed 
automatically. 

The  Danish  king  made  a  dignified  proclamation 
announcing  that  the  sale  of  the  islands  had  fallen 
through : 

We,  Christian  the  Ninth, 

By  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  Denmark,  the  Van- 
dals and  the  Goths,  Duke  of  Sleswig,  Holstein,  Storn- 
marn,  Ditmarsh,  Lauenborg  and  Oldenborg,  send  to 
Our  beloved  and  faithful  subjects  in  the  Islands  of  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  John,  Our  Royal  Greeting. 

You  are  aware  of  the  motives  that  actuated  Us 
at  the  time  to  give  ear  to  the  repeated  and  urgent 
requests  of  the  North  American  Government  for  the 
cession  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John  to  the  United  States. 
We  expected  that  We,  in  that  manner,  should  have 
20 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

been  able  to  lighten  Our  realm  of  the  heavy  burdens 
incurred  by  the  then  recently  terminated  war,  and  We 
hoped  that  the  annexation  to  the  United  States  would 
have  aflForded  the  islands  advantages  so  important  that 
they  could  have  contributed  to  soothe  the  pain  which 
a  separation  necessarily  must  cause  in  the  Colonies, 
no  less  than  in  the  Mother  Country.  You,  for  your 
part,  and  the  Danish  Diet,  on  the  part  of  the  King- 
dom, have  concurred  in  these  views,  and  We  all  met 
in  the  mutual  readiness  to  accommodate  ourselves 
to  what  appeared  to  Us  to  be  recommended  by  the 
circumstances. 

Unexpected  obstacles  have  arisen  to  the  realization 
of  this  idea,  and  released  Us  from  Our  pledged  word. 
The  American  Senate  has  not  shown  itself  willing  to 
maintain  the  treaty  made,  although  the  initiative  for 
it  proceeded  from  the  United  States  themselves.  Ready 
as  We  were  to  subdue  the  feelings  of  Our  heart,  when 
We  thought  that  duty  bade  Us  so  to  do,  yet  We  cannot 
otherwise  than  feel  a  satisfaction  that  circumstances 
have  relieved  Us  from  making  a  sacrifice  which,  not- 
withstanding the  advantages  held  out,  would  always 
have  been  painful  to  Us.  We  are  convinced  that  You 
,  share  these  sentiments  and  that  it  is  with  a  lightened 
heart  You  are  relieved  from  the  consent,  which  only 
at  Our  request  you  gave  to  a  separation  of  the  islands 
from  the  Danish  crown. 

21 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

In,  therefore,  making  known  to  you  that  the  Con- 
vention made  on  the  24th  of  October,  1867,  for  the 
cession  of  the  Islands  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John  to 
the  United  States  of  America,  has  become  void,  We 
entertain  the  firm  belief  that  Our  Government,  sup- 
ported by  your  own  active  endeavors  will  succeed  in 
promoting  the  interest  of  the  islands  and  by  degrees 
efface  all  remembrances  of  the  misfortunes  which,  of 
late  years,  have  so  sadly  befallen  the  islands.  To  this 
end  We  pray  Almighty  God  to  give  Us  strength  and 

wisdom. 

Commending  You  to  God! 

Done  at  Our  Palace  at  Amalienborg,  the  7th  May, 

1870. 
Christian  R. 
L.  S. 

A  writer  in  the  "Review  of  Reviews,"  refer- 
ring to  the  disappointing  failure  of  1867,  said: 

**If  we  had  purchased  the  islands  at  that  time, 
our  influence  in  the  West  Indies  would  have  grown 
in  such  a  way  that  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that 
we  could  subsequently  have  purchased  Cuba  from 
Spain,  and  thus  averted  two  or  three  wars,  and 
much  misery." 

Not  until  after  the  Spanish-American  war  was 

the  purchase  of  these  islands  again  seriously  con- 
22 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

sidered.  Once  more  the  United  States  had  felt 
the  need  of  a  naval  station  in  the  Caribbean. 
Consequently,  another  treaty  was  negotiated,  in 
January,  1902.  Owing  to  the  efforts  of  President 
Roosevelt  and  Secretary  of  State  John  Hay,  this 
treaty  was  promptly  ratified  by  the  United  States 
Senate.  The  Folkething  (Lower  House)  of  Den- 
mark readily  gave  its  consent  to  the  proposed  sale 
of  the  islands  for  $5,000,000,  but  the  Upper  House 
of  the  Danish  Parliament  failed  to  vote  in  favor  of 
confirmation.  It  has  generally  been  thought  that 
German  influence  was  responsible  for  the  failure 
to  sanction  this  treaty.  Possibly  the  German 
government  itself  hoped,  at  some  time  or  other,  to 
obtain  a  foothold  in  the  West  Indies. 

While  there  were  in  1911  and  1912  attempts 
to  renew  interest  in  the  purchase,  nothing  came 
of  these.  Not  until  the  latter  part  of  1916  was 
another  determined  effort  made  to  induce  the 
Danes  to  cede  the  islands.  For  the  three  principal 
islands  and  their  outlying  cays  $25,000,000  was 
offered.  A  popular  vote  of  the  Danish  people 
was  taken  in  December,  to  see  if  it  was  their  wish 
to  give  up  Denmark's  only  tropical  colony.  As 
the  cost  of  governing  these  islands  had  become 

23 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

far  greater  than  the  revenues  derived  from  them, 
and  as  the  Danes  were  forced  to  admit  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Dutch  West  Indies  were  them- 
selves greatly  in  favor  of  the  transfer,  283,000 
voted  for  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  while 
157,000  were  opposed  to  the  sale.  This  favorable 
vote  was  hailed  with  great  joy  in  St.  Thomas  and 
St.  Croix. 

The  islands  finally  came  into  the  possession 
of  the  United  States  on  January  17,  1917,  when 
Secretary  of  State  Lansing  and  Minister  Brun  of 
Denmark  signed  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of 
cession. 

In  this  ratification  it  was  stipulated  that  the 
islands  would  be  taken  over  within  ninety  days. 
The  final  act  was  staged  on  March  31,  1917,  when 
the  Dannebrog  (the  ofiicial  name  of  the  Danish 
flag)  was  replaced  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  It 
was  the  original  intention  that  this  change  of  flags 
should  take  place  with  great  ceremony,  but  the 
exigencies  of  the  international  situation,  and  the 
fact  that  the  break  of  the  United  States  with 
Germany  had  just  taken  place,  made  a  popular 
demonstration  inadvisable,  and  the  plans  made 
by  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  assist 
24 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

in  the  celebration  with  part  of  the  United  States 

Atlantic  Squadron  were  cancelled.     But,  in  spite 

of  the  comparative  lack  of  ceremony,  the  lowering 

of  the  Dannebrog  and  the  hoisting  in  its  stead  of 

the  Stars  and  Stripes  was  an  impressive  event,  an 

event    which    every    thinking    American    should 

regard  with  pride.     Once  again  the  adherents  of 

the  Monroe  Doctrine  rejoiced  in  the  acquisition 

of  additional  territory,  needed  to  promote  the  peace 

of  the  world,  and  one  more  European  nationality 

ceased  to  be  represented  in  the  complex  political 

scheme  of  the  Antilles. 

While  the  transfer  of  the  islands  was  not  viewed 

with  universal  joy  by  their  inhabitants,  it  can  be 

said  safely  that  fully  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  natives 

were  only  too  glad  to  be  adopted  by  the  American 

government.     They  were  not  dissatisfied  by  the 

treatment  that  had  been  accorded  them  under 

Danish  rule,  for  the  government  by  the  Danish 

oflBcials  had  been  benevolent  and  paternal;  but 

Denmark  was  far  away,  and — especially  in  the 

last  three  years  when  regular  communication  with 

Europe  was  hard  to  maintain — a  long  time  was 

required    to    consult    the    home    government    on 

matters  of  importance,  and  to  bring  about  neces- 

25 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

sary  improvements  in  local  affairs.  They  felt  that 
under  the  rule  of  the  United  States  any  public 
business  could  be  attended  to  speedily.  Further- 
more, practically  all  the  commerce  of  St.  Thomas 
was  with  the  United  States,  and  the  imports  from 
the  mother  country  were  but  a  negligible  item. 
The  St.  Thomians  were  more  used  to  American 
customs  and  manners  than  they  were  to  those  of 
Denmark,  owing  to  the  frequent  visits  of  American 
ships  to  the  shores  of  the  island.  In  St.  Croix, 
also,  it  was  felt  that  adoption  by  the  United  States 
would  give  a  new  impetus  to  the  sugar  industry, 
that  there  would  be  a  new  development  of  all  her 
latent  resources,  and  that  there  would  be  an  outlet 
to  Porto  Rico  for  her  surplus  population. 

It  was  of  course  a  sad  thing  for  the  Danish 
government  to  view  the  lowering  of  the  Dannebrog 
which,  with  but  two  short  intervals  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  had  proudly  waved  for  two  and 
one-half  centuries  over  the  little  group  of  islands. 
Yet  it  was  the  wish  of  Denmark  not  to  stand  in 
the  way  of  the  prosperity  of  its  colonial  dependents. 
While  there  will  undoubtedly  be  a  few  who  will 
regard  with  disfavor  the  innovations  that  will 
be  introduced  by  the  United  States,  the  majority 
26 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

will  be  grateful  that  the  uncertainty  which  began 
in  1866  and  lasted  until  1917,  is  now  ended  for 
all  time. 

It  was  left  to  the  present  inhabitants  of  the 
islands  to  decide  whether  or  not  they  wished  to 
become  citizens  of  the  United  States.  Those  who, 
within  one  year  of  the  date  of  transfer,  should 
signify  their  desire  to  do  so,  would  remain  subjects 
of  the  Danish  King.  All  others  would  automatic- 
ally become  citizens  of  the  United  States,  having 
all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  this  status. 

According  to  the  National  Geographic  Society 
of  Washington,  the  total  area  of  the  three  principal 
islands  acquired  by  the  United  States  is  132.47 
square  miles.  With  the  cays  and  rocks  that  form 
part  of  the  group,  the  area  might  possibly  be  as 
much  as  150  square  miles.  The  population  has 
been  variously  stated  as  being  from  30,000  to 
33,000,  of  whom  about  ten  per  cent,  are  white. 
A  study  of  earlier  statistics  shows  that  the  popu- 
lation has  decreased  greatly  during  the  century. 
In  1828  there  were  46,000  inhabitants,  but  by 
1841  this  total  had  dropped  to  41,000. 

Because  of  their  situation,  the  islands  are  the 
logical  distributing  center  for  goods  destined  for 

27 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  Lesser  Antilles  and  they  have  long  been  a 
shipping  point  of  some  importance.  In  the  days 
before  the  European  war,  a  number  of  Inter- 
Colonial  steamers  called  at  the  ports  of  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  Croix  and  connected  the  towns  of  these 
islands  not  only  with  the  Leeward  Islands  but 
also  with  Porto  Rico,  Santo  Domingo,  Hayti,  Cuba 
and  Jamaica. 

That  this  value  of  the  islands  as  a  shipping 
center  was  well  realized  when  their  purchase  was 
considered,  is  shown  by  the  report  of  Secretary 
of  State  Lansing,  transmitted  to  Congress  on 
January  22,  1917.    In  this  report  he  said: 

**The  commercial  value  of  the  islands  cannot 
be  doubted.  Lying  in  close  proximity  to  many  of 
the  passages  into  the  Caribbean  Sea,  the  use  of 
St.  Thomas  harbor  as  a  stopping  station  for 
merchant  ships  plying  between  the  United  States 
and  South  America,  and  for  vessels  in  other  trades, 
is  of  great  importance." 

Though  the  United  States  took  over  the  islands 
at  a  cost  of  about  three  hundred  dollars  per  acre, 
there  is  no  doubt  that,  from  all  points  of  view 
their  value  is  incalculable.  It  is  more  than  prob- 
able that  the  revenues  derived  from  them  will 
28 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

suffice  to  pay  the  cost  of  their  government,  and 
none  of  these  revenues  are  to  be  expended  upon 
matters  not  directly  related  to  the  local  govern- 
ment. The  act  providing  for  the  temporary  gov- 
ernment specifically  states  that  debts  and  taxes 
collected  on  the  Virgin  Islands  of  the  United  States 
shall  not  be  placed  in  the  treasury  of  the  United 
States,  but  shall  be  used  and  expended  for  the 
government  and  benefit  of  the  islands. 

The  government  of  the  islands  will  not  be 
expensive.  The  form  has  already  been  fixed.  In 
the  language  of  "an  act  to  provide  temporary 
government  for  the  West  Indian  Islands  acquired 
by  the  United  States  from  Denmark,"  "all  mili- 
tary, civil  and  judicial  powers  .  .  .  shall  be  vested 
in  a  governor  and  in  such  person  or  persons  as 
the  President  may  appoint  and  shall  be  exercised 
in  such  manner  as  the  President  shall  direct  until 
Congress  shall  provide  for  the  government  of  said 
islands."  The  governor,  who  may  be  an  officer 
of  the  army  or  navy,  is  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent, subject  to  senatorial  confirmation.  The 
first  governor  appointed  was  an  officer  of  the  navy, 
Rear  Admiral  James  H.  Oliver. 

Election  laws  and  local  laws  are  to  remain  in 

29 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

effect  and  are  to  be  administered  by  the  local 
tribunals.  Judicial  tribunals  have  their  jurisdic- 
tion extended  to  cases  in  which  the  United  States 
or  a  citizen  is  a  party. 

Under  the  new  customs  regulations,  no  duty 
is  charged  on  articles  coming  into  the  United  States 
from  the  islands,  providing  they  are  native  prod- 
ucts or  do  not  contain  more  than  twenty  per  cent, 
of  foreign  materials.  All  other  articles  pay  the 
same  duty  as  imports  from  foreign  countries. 
Sugar  pays  an  export  duty  of  eight  dollars  per 
ton,  regardless  of  its  ultimate  destination. 

The  elimination  of  the  Danish  nation  as  a 
power  in  the  Antilles  left  the  flags  of  but  three 
European  nations  in  the  Caribbean:  those  of 
Great  Britain,  of  France  and  of  the  Netherlands. 
It  is  not  inconceivable  that  Great  Britain,  at 
some  future  time,  may  be  induced  to  cede  to  the 
United  States  some  of  her  islands  in  the  Caribbean. 
The  Bahamas,  for  instance,  are  to-day  in  very 
much  the  same  position  as  were  the  Danish  islands 
during  the  twenty  years  before  the  transfer.  They 
depend  upon  the  United  States  for  the  majority 
of  their  imports  and  for  a  market  for  their  exports. 

The  tourist  resort  of  Nassau,  on  the  Island  of  New 
30 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

Providence,  is  visited  almost  exclusively  by  Ameri- 
cans and  would  lose  its  only  claim  to  importance 
if  the  revenue  from  this  source  were  cut  off.  This 
condition  is  well  appreciated  by  the  Bahamians 
themselves ;  they  would,  in  all  probability,  welcome 
adoption  by  the  United  States,  for  their  fruits 
would  find  a  duty-free  market  and  thus  the  one 
agricultural  possibility  of  the  islands  would  be 
given  an  encouraging  impetus.  Jamaica,  while 
having  more  intercourse  with  Great  Britain,  prac- 
tically depends  upon  the  United  States  for  the 
sale  of  her  entire  banana  crop;  where  one  steamer 
communicates  with  England,  ten  seek  the  nearer 
ports  of  the  North  American  continent.  It  must 
be  understood,  however,  that  the  sale  of  any  of 
the  British  West  Indies  is  but  a  remote  possibility, 
although  within  the  bounds  of  probability. 

A  far  more  probable  purchase  would  be  that 
of  the  Dutch  islands  of  the  West  Indies.  The  pos- 
sessions of  the  Netherlands  in  the  Caribbean  are  a 
loss  to  the  government  and  a  menace  to  the  mother 
country.  In  the  event  of  war  between  the  United 
States  and  one  of  the  larger  European  nations,  the 
first  hostile  act  on  the  part  of  the  latter  might 

well  prove  to  be  the  violation  of  Dutch  neutrality 

31 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

by  the  seizure  of  the  island  of  Curagao,  which 
possesses  an  excellent  naval  station  and  a  well 
protected  harbor.  Such  seizure  would  be  a  serious 
menace  to  the  safety  of  the  Panama  Canal,  and 
there  might  be  far-reaching  consequences.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  United  States  had  Curagao 
in  its  possession,  the  approach  to  the  Panama 
Canal,  by  way  of  the  southern  channels  of  the 
Lesser  Antilles,  would  be  safeguarded.  This  also 
applies  to  the  Dutch  islands  of  St.  Martin,  Saba, 
and  St.  Eustatius  in  the  northern  group  of  the 
Leeward  Islands;  should  these  come  under  the 
United  States  flag,  the  entire  range  of  islands  from 
the  Florida  coast  to  the  mainland  of  South  America 
would  be  dominated  by  the  American  navy. 

A  glance  at  the  map  of  the  Caribbean  will 
reveal  the  truth  of  this  statement.  The  Guan- 
tanamo  naval  base  on  the  southern  coast  of  the 
eastern  part  of  Cuba  can  control  not  only  the 
Florida  Straits,  between  Florida  and  Cuba,  but 
also  the  Windward  Passage  between  Cuba  and 
Hayti.  A  fleet  stationed  at  Culebra  Island  and 
at  St.  Thomas  could  give  battle  to  any  squadron 
that  should  try  to  force  its  way  through  the  Mona 
Passage,  between  Santo  Domingo  and  Porto  Rico, 
32 


FROM  DENMARK  TO  UNITED  STATES 

or  through  the  Virgin  Passage,  separating  Porto 
Rico  from  the  Virgin  Islands.  This  same  fleet 
would  also  be  in  a  position  to  protect  the  passages 
due  east  from  the  Island  of  St.  John. 

From  the  Island  of  Barbuda  to  the  Island  of 
Trinidad,  however,  can  be  found  some  twelve  deep 
water  channels,  which,  in  the  event  of  war  with 
a  maritime  nation,  would  require  a  patrol  fleet  of 
almost  prohibitive  size  to  give  warning  of  the 
approach  of  a  hostile  fleet. 

If,  therefore,  the  United  States  can  prevail 
upon  the  Dutch  government  to  sell  her  West  Indian 
possessions,  not  only  would  the  sale  be  to  the 
advantage  of  Holland,  since  it  would  relieve  her 
of  her  unproductive  colonies  in  the  Caribbean, 
and  would  remove  the  menace  of  having  these 
colonies  seized  by  a  European  nation,  but  also  the 
strategic  importance  of  the  naval  station  to  be 
established  by  the  United  States  on  the  former 
Danish  West  Indies  would  be  materially  increased. 
A  chain  of  defenses  could  thus  be  thrown  around 
the  Panama  Canal  that  would  afford  complete 
protection  from  all  the  Atlantic  approaches. 


8  83 


CHAPTER  II 
GLIMPSES    OF   FOUR   HUNDRED    YEARS 

THE  STORY  TOLD  BY  OLD  POTTERY— THE  NAMING  OF  THE 
ISLANDS— NATIVES  ATTACK  THE  SOLDIERS  OF  COLUMBUS 
—EXTERMINATION  OF  THE  NATIVES  AND  THE  COMING  OF 
EUROPEANS— THE  EMANCIPATION  OF  THE  SLAVES 

THE  story  of  the  Virgin  Islands  of  the 
United  States  may  be  told  in  three 
parts.  First  comes  their  record  until 
their  settlement  by  European  natives  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  Next  is  the  period  of  European 
settlement,  until  1733,  when,  on  the  purchase  of 
St.  Croix  from  France,  the  three  islands  were 
joined  under  one  government.  From  that  date 
the  history  of  the  islands  can  be  described  as  a 
whole. 

Before  the  discovery  of  the  Virgin  Island  group 
by  Columbus,  these  islands  were  inhabited  by 
a  warrior  nation  of  aborigines.  The  Museum  of 
the  American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  of  New 
York  City,  was  the  first  institution  to  devote  itself 
to  an  archeological  survey  of  the  three  islands 
under  discussion.  This  museum  has  devoted  a 
large  amount  of  its  energy  to  furthering  archeo- 
logical work  in  the  West  Indies. 
34 


GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS 

It  was  found  necessary  to  gather  some  data 
and  pre-Columbian  specimens  from  St.  Thomas, 
St.  John  and  St.  Croix,  in  order  to  enable  students 
of  the  pre-Columbian  occupation  of  the  Antilles 
to  make  a  comparative  study  of  the  remains  of 
the  primitive  races  that  at  one  time  inhabited  this 
region.  The  researches  proved  that  they  had  been 
inhabited  by  tribes  that  made  long  voyages  for 
purposes  of  trading,  or  for  purposes  of  warfare, 
practically  throughout  the  West  Indies. 

In  the  excavations  conducted  by  the  museum 
expedition,  the  finding  of  some  of  the  so-called 
''coUarstones"  proved  that  voyages  to  Porto  Rico 
were  undertaken,  for  these  highly  ornamented  stone 
objects  up  to  the  present  time  have  been  found  only 
on  Porto  Rico  and  Santo  Domingo,  and  assuredly 
could  not  have  belonged  to  the  low  cultural  devel- 
opment that  must  have  existed  on  both  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  Croix.  The  presence  of  a  grotesquely 
carved  "  swallowing-stick "  in  the  aboriginal  de- 
posits suggested  a  communication  with  Santo 
Domingo,  where  the  native  priests  used  sticks  of 
this  character  in  their  ceremonies. 

That  voyages  were  possibly  undertaken  even  to 

Jamaica,  was  suggested  by  the  finding  in  an  aborig- 

35 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

inal  deposit  on  St.  Croix  of  a  cylindrical  stone 
ornament,  specimens  of  this  kind  being  more 
typical  of  Jamaican  culture  than  of  the  culture  of 
the  other  Antillean  islands.  Again,  some  painted 
postsherds  typical  of  the  South  American  cultural 
area  proved  that  pre-Columbian  communication 
had  been  held  between  St.  Croix  and  either  Trini- 
dad or  the  northern  coast  of  Venezuela. 

It  is  hardly  likely  that  the  tribes  inhabiting 
St.  Thomas  and  St.  Croix  made  these  voyages  for 
purposes  of  barter  or  of  peaceful  intercourse. 
Probably  they  undertook  extensive  voyages  in 
order  to  wage  war  upon  the  more  peaceful  Arawak 
tribes  who  inhabited  the  other  Antillean  islands, 
and  the  specimens  found  must  have  been  secured 
by  force  of  arms  rather  than  by  trading. 

If  the  intercourse  with  the  islands  to  the  west 

had  been  of  a  peaceful  nature,  it  is  probable  that 

the   Indians   would   have    adopted   some   of   the 

technique  of  the  potter's  art  from  their  neighbors. 

As  it  is,  the  pottery  from  St.  Thomas  and  St. 

Croix — and  the  Museum  of  the  American  Indian, 

Heye  Foundation,  has  some  six  thousand  specimens 

in  all  from  these  islands — bears  not  the  slightest 

resemblance  to  the  pottery  of  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico, 
36 


GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS 

Santo  Domingo  or  Cuba.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  crudest 
pottery  from  the  West  Indies  and  of  a  kind  typical 
of  a  nation  of  pirates  and  warriors,  who  found  no 
leisure  to  devote  themselves  to  an  attempt  at 
ornamentation  of  their  household  utensils. 

There  is  another  way  of  deciding  that  the 
Indians  who  originally  inhabited  St.  Thomas  must 
have  been  not  only  warriors  but  of  the  same  race 
as  those  on  St.  Croix,  for  the  St.  Thomas  pottery 
shows  an  absolute  resemblance  to  the  specimens 
from  St.  Croix,  and  history  says  that  the  St.  Croix 
Indians  were  warriors.  Columbus  found  them  so, 
to  his  sorrow,  for  when  he  sent  soldiers  ashore  for 
purposes  of  exploration  the  Indians  attempted  to 
repel  the  visitors  by  force. 

When  Columbus  was  on  his  second  voyage  of 
discovery,  in  1493,  he  came  to  the  island  of  St. 
Croix,  after  first  touching  at  a  number  of  the 
Leeward  Islands.  The  story  of  the  visit,  as  told 
by  Washington  Irving,  after  an  examination  of 
the  letters  and  diaries  of  Columbus,  is  full  of 
interest : 

**The  weather  proving  boisterous,  he  anchored 

on  the  14th  [of  November]  at   an   island   called 

Ayay  by  the  Indians,  but  to  which  he  gave  the 

37 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

name  of  Santa  Cruz.  A  boat  well  manned  was 
sent  on  shore  to  get  water  and  procure  informa- 
tion. They  found  a  village,  deserted  by  the  men; 
but  secured  a  few  women  and  boys,  most  of  them 
captives  from  other  islands.  They  soon  had  an 
instance  of  Carib  courage  and  ferocity.  While  at 
the  village  they  beheld  a  canoe  from  a  distant  part 
of  the  island  come  around  a  point  of  land,  and 
arrive  in  view  of  the  ships.  The  Indians  in  the 
canoe,  two  of  whom  were  females,  remained  gazing 
in  mute  amazement  at  the  ships,  and  were  so 
entranced  that  the  boat  stole  close  upon  them 
before  they  perceived  it.  Seizing  their  paddles 
they  attempted  to  escape,  but  the  boat  being 
between  them  and  the  land,  cut  off  their  retreat. 
They  now  caught  up  their  bows  and  arrows,  and 
plied  them  with  amazing  vigor  and  rapidity.  The 
Spaniards  covered  themselves  with  their  bucklers, 
but  two  of  them  were  quickly  wounded.  The 
women  fought  as  fiercely  as  the  men,  and  one  of 
them  sent  an  arrow  with  such  force  that  it  passed 
through  and  through  a  buckler. 

"The  Spaniards  now  ran  their  boat  against  the 
canoe,  and  overturned  it;  some  of  the  savages  got 
upon  sunken  rocks,  others  discharged  their  arrows 
38 


GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS 

while  swimming,  as  dexterously  as  though  they 
had  been  upon  firm  land.  It  was  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  they  could  be  overcome  and  taken:  one 
of  them  who  had  been  transfixed  with  a  lance, 
died  soon  after  being  brought  aboard  the  ships. 
One  of  the  women,  from  the  obedience  and  defer- 
ence paid  to  her,  appeared  to  be  their  queen. 
She  was  accompanied  by  her  son,  a  young  man 
strongly  made,  with  a  frowning  brow  and  lion's 
face.  He  had  been  wounded  in  the  conflict.  The 
hair  of  these  savages  was  long  and  coarse,  their 
eyes  were  encircled  with  paint,  so  as  to  give  them 
a  hideous  expression;  and  bands  of  cotton  were 
bound  firmly  above  and  below  the  muscular  parts 
of  the  arms  and  legs,  so  as  to  cause  them  to  swell 
to  a  disproportioned  size;  a  custom  prevalent 
among  various  tribes  of  the  New  World.  Though 
captives  in  chains,  and  in  the  power  of  their 
enemies,  they  still  retained  a  frowning  brow  and 
an  air  of  defiance.  Peter  Martyr,  who  often  went 
to  see  them  in  Spain,  declares,  from  his  own 
experience,  and  that  of  others  who  accompanied 
him,  that  it  was  impossible  to  look  at  them  without 
a  sensation  of  horror;  so  menacing  and  terrible 
was  their  aspect.     The  sensation  was  doubtless 

39 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

caused  in  a  great  measure  by  the  idea  of  their 
being  cannibals.  In  this  skirmish,  according  to 
the  same  writer,  the  Indians  used  poisoned  arrows; 
and  one  of  the  Spaniards  died  within  a  few  days, 
of  a  wound  received  from  one  of  the  females. 

"Pursuing  his  voyage,  Columbus  soon  came  in 
sight  of  a  great  cluster  of  islands,  some  verdant 
and  covered  with  forests,  but  the  greater  part 
naked  and  sterile,  rising  into  craggy  mountains; 
with  rocks  of  a  bright  azure  color,  and  some  of  a 
glistering  white.  These,  with  his  usual  vivacity 
of  imagination,  he  supposed  to  contain  mines  of 
rich  metals  and  precious  stones.  The  islands 
lying  close  together,  with  the  sea  beating  roughly 
in  the  narrow  channels  which  divided  them, 
rendered  it  dangerous  to  enter  among  them  with 
the  large  ships.  Columbus  sent  in  a  small  caravel 
with  lateen  sails,  to  reconnoitre,  which  returned 
with  the  report  that  there  were  upwards  of  fifty 
islands,  apparently  inhabited.  To  the  largest  of 
this  group  he  gave  the  name  of  Santa  Ursula,  and 
called  the  others  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins." 

It  has  frequently  been  suggested  that  the  Island 
of  Virgin  Gorda  is  the  one  originally  named  St. 

Ursula,  but  it  is  more  likely  that  either  St.  Thomas 
40 


MOSQUITO    BAY,    ST.    THOMAS 
Saba  Island,  and  Dove  Cay  in  Distance 


WATER  BAY  AND  NATIVE  BRINGING  IN  FODDER  FROM  THATCH  CAY,  ST.  THOMAS 


1^ 


ABORIGINAL    POTTERY    DRYING    IN    THE    SUN 


fik^ 


NORTH    COAST    OF    ST.    THOMAS,    OUTER    BRASS   AND    INxMER    BRASS  ISLANDS      - 


GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS 

or  St.  John  was  the  one  named  after  St.  Ursula. 
In  voyaging  from  St.  Croix  either  of  the  latter 
islands  would  be  first  sighted  by  a  navigator  and, 
as  Columbus  was  on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  he  would 
probably  investigate  and  name  the  first  island  seen. 

It  should  be  noted  that,  geographically,  St. 
Croix  does  not  belong  to  the  Virgin  Islands,  but 
that  from  common  usage  it  has  been  included  under 
this  name. 

It  has  frequently  been  stated  that  the  encounter 
between  the  soldiers  of  Columbus  and  the  Indians 
on  St.  Croix  led  to  the  first  blood-shed  in  the  New 
World  between  the  conquistadors  and  the  aborig- 
ines. But  an  encounter  took  place  during  the 
first  voyage  of  Columbus  in  1492,  when  he  dis- 
covered Samana  Bay,  on  the  Island  of  Hispaniola. 
This  bay,  in  fact,  was  named  by  the  Admiral  the 
Bay  of  Arrows,  in  commemoration  of  the  event. 
St.  Croix,  therefore,  cannot  lay  claim  to  the 
doubtful  honor  of  having  been  the  first  battlefield 
in  the  New  World. 

No  trustworthy  records  have  been  discovered 

of  the  ultimate  fate  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants 

of  St.  Thomas,  St.  Croix  and  St.  John.    Possibly 

a  statement  made  by  the  German  historian,  Olden- 

dl 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

dorp,  may  afford  a  clue.  He  says  that,  about  1555, 
the  Indians  were  driven  away  from  the  Virgin 
Islands  by  Charles  V  of  Spain,  the  Emperor  having 
ordered  that  they  be  treated  as  enemies  and 
exterminated.  But  was  not  Oldendorp  speaking 
of  the  Island  of  St.  Croix,  and  not  of  the  true 
Virgin  Islands  group,  when  he  made  this  state- 
ment? It  is  much  more  likely  that  such  inhabi- 
tants as  may  have  lived  upon  the  Virgin  Islands 
after  their  discovery  were  taken  as  slaves,  and 
made  to  work  the  mines  on  Hispaniola  after  the 
labor  supply  of  this  latter  island  had  become 
exhausted.  But  even  if  Oldendorp's  statement  is 
founded  on  fact,  it  does  not  necessarily  imply  that 
the  extermination  of  the  Indians  was  completely 
carried  out.  Nevertheless,  when  the  Danish, 
Dutch  and  French  settlers  arrived  on  these  islands, 
at  different  times  in  the  seventeenth  century,  no 
Indians  were  found  on  them. 

It  was  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  Museum  of  the 
American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  that  a  few 
of  the  problems  regarding  the  pre-Columbian 
inhabitants  of  this  little  group  of  islands  have 
been  solved,  and  short  mention  will  be  made  of 

the  archeological  work  done  under  the  auspices  of 
42 


^\^ 


i^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS 

this  institution  when  the  history  of  each  island 
is  discussed. 

After  the  visit  of  the  Spanish  squadron  under 
Columbus,  history  takes  but  little  note  of  the 
islands.  This  silence  continued  through  most  of 
the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Probably 
the  dread  in  which  they  were  held  by  the  early 
navigators  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  silence. 
A  sailing  vessel  caught  in  the  strong  currents  which 
eddy  between  the  rocks  and  shoals  of  the  islands, 
might  find  great  difficulty  in  extricating  itself, 
especially  in  days  when  there  were  no  charts  of 
these  waters. 

An  indication  of  the  fear  with  which  the  seas 
surrounding  the  Virgin  Islands  were  regarded  was 
given  by  the  Earl  of  Cumberland,  who,  in  1596, 
while  on  his  way  to  take  Porto  Rico,  said  that 
**he  would  rather  be  the  first  to  take  Porto  Rico, 
than  the  second  to  pass  through  the  Virgines.'' 
The  first  to  pass  this  way  was  Sir  Francis  Drake, 
who,  in  1580,  sailed  through  what  was  later  known 
as  the  Drake  Channel  between  the  islands.  The 
Earl  of  Cumberland  mentioned  at  the  same  time 
that  the  Iclands  were  **  wholly  uninhabited,  sandy, 
barren,  and  craggy." 

43 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

/  The  first  mention  of  settlers  on  any  of  the 
Virgin  Islands  was  made  in  1625,  when  St.  Croix 
was  colonized.  St.  Thomas  remained  uninhabited 
for  even  a  longer  time,  there  being  no  record  of 
Europeans  on  this  island  until  1666.  St.  John  was 
not  colonized  until  1684. 

.  Each  of  these  islands  has  its  individual  history 
until  1733,  when  the  Island  of  St.  Croix  was  pur- 
chased from  France  for  the  sum  of  seventy-five 
thousand  pounds  by  the  Danish  West  India 
and  Guinea  Company.  Holdings  of  this  company 
were  sold  to  the  Danish  Crown  in  1754,  and  a 
commercial  policy  was  instituted  which  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  new  prosperity. 

St.  Thomas  was  thrown  open  as  a  free  port  in 
1764  with  certain  restrictions  to  ships  from  Euro- 
pean ports,  though  these  restrictions  were  partially 
removed  in  1767.  In  1815  the  trade  of  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  John  became  free  from  all  restrictions, 
and  European  ships  were  allowed  to  enter  on 
equal  terms  with  those  from  America.  St.  Croix, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  not  opened  to  international 
commerce  until  1833. 

Little  occurred  to  interest  the  student  of  inter- 

'national  affairs  until  the  British  fleet  under  Admiral 
44 


GLIMPSES  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  YEARS 

Duckworth  and  General  Trigg  captured  the  islands 
on  April  1,  1801.  A  little  before  this  time  Den-  ^ 
mark  and  Norway  had  allied  themselves  with 
France,  and  England  was  not  slow  in  seizing  the 
Danish  colonial  possessions  in  retaliation.  The 
islands  were  held  until  February  22,  1802,  and 
were  restored  to  Denmark  by  the  Treaty  of  Amiens. 

In  1807  affairs  between  Great  Britain  and 
France  once  more  came  to  a  crisis,  and  on  Decem- 
ber 22  the  islands  were  captured  by  the  British 
under  Admiral  Cochrane  and  General  Bowyer.  They 
continued  under  British  rule  until  April  15,  1815.  ^ 
They  were  then  restored  by  Great  Britain,  which 
took  the  Danish  island  of  Heligoland  in  exchange. 

Since  1815  the  islands  have  not  been  involved 

in  international  affairs,  and  their  history  is  but  a 

record  of  fires,  hurricanes  and  slave  rebellions.    The 

chief  events  of  this  period  came  in   1847,  when 

King  Christian  VHI  passed  certain  laws  for  the 

future  emancipation  of  slaves,  and  in  1848,  when 

slavery  was  abolished  throughout  the  Danish  West 

Indies  after  an  uprising  of  the  slaves  of  St.  Croix. 

Thus  freedom  came  to  the  islands  fifteen  years 

before  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  put  an  end 

to  slavery  in  the  United  States. 

45 


CHAPTER  III 
ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

UPS  AND  DOWNS  OF  THE  FIRST  COLONISTS— GOVERNOR 
IVERSEN'S  STRINGENT  REGULATIONS— WHEN  SUGAR  DIS- 
PLACED TOBACCO— "ON  THE  WAY  TO  EVERY  OTHER 
PLACE."— BOMBARDING  A  CLIFF  INSTEAD  OF  A  SHIP— THE 
COLOR  SCHEME  OF  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA— THE  SIGNAL- 
MAN'S DLLEMMA- A  HEALTHY  ISLAND'S  MOST  FATAL 
DISEASE— THE  NIGHT  OF  THE  HURRICANE 

WHILE  there  are  no  trustworthy  records 
that  tell  of  the  first  settlement  of  St. 
Thomas,  it  is  generally  believed  that 
there  was  a  colony  on  the  island  at  some  time 
before  1647.  In  1647  a  small  company  of  French 
settlers  from  the  nearby  Crab  Island  made  their 
way  to  St.  Thomas,  after  the  destruction  of  their 
plantations  and  the  burning  of  their  ships  by 
Spanish  soldiers.  The  perilous  voyage  was  made 
in  frail  canoes.  Upon  their  arrival  on  St.  Thomas 
these  refugees  found  abandoned  groves  of  lemons, 
oranges  and  bananas,  which  helped  to  keep  them 
from  starvation.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
these  groves  were  planted  during  the  short  occupa- 
tion of  St.  Thomas  by  Dutch  buccaneers,  who 

afterward  settled  on  St.  Martin  and  St.  Eustatius. 
46 


00 

< 

O 

w 

• 

H 
00 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

St.  Thomas  next  appears  on  the  records  as 
having  been  the  burial  place  of  one  Erik  Schmidt, 
who  arrived  on  the  ship  Eendracht,  in  1666.  This 
vessel  probably  brought  supplies  to  Dutch  settlers 
who  had  taken  up  their  abode  there  at  some  time 
between  1657  and  1666.  Soon  a  number  of  these 
people,  learning  of  the  great  prosperity  of  the  new 
colony  of  New  Amsterdam,  now  New  York,  took 
their  departure  for  the  village  on  the  Hudson.  In 
1667  the  remainder  were  forced  to  leave  St. 
Thomas.  At  that  time  St.  Thomas,  St.  Martin 
and  St.  Eustatius  were  captured  by  the  British, 
and  the  captors  insisted  upon  the  removal  of  the 
St.  Thomas  colonists  to  the  latter  two  islands, 
owing  to  their  greater  fertility. 

The  island  once  abandoned,  it  was  an  easy 
matter  for  the  newly-formed  Danish  West  India 
and  Guinea  Company  to  claim  St.  Thomas,  in 
1667,  as  a  trading-post,  in  spite  of  protests  from 
Great  Britain,  which  claimed  the  island  by  right 
of  conquest.  This  objection  was  not  followed  up 
by  any  serious  measures,  and  preparations  were 
made  in  Denmark  to  found  a  colony  on  St.  Thomas. 

On  August  31,  1671,  the  first  ship,  the  Golden 

Crowriy  was  dispatched  from  Copenhagen,  while 

47 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

less  than  three  months  later  the  Pharaoh  followed. 
On  this  vessel  came  Jorgen  Iversen,  the  new  gov- 
ernor, to  whom  had  been  given  full  power  to  repre- 
sent Danish  authority.  When  the  Pharaoh  arrived, 
on  May  23,  1672,  a  few  colonists  were  already 
established.  These  were  principally  Dutch  planters 
who  had  returned  from  the  islands  of  St.  Martin 
and  St.  Eustatius  to  reclaim  their  former  holdings 
on  St.  Thomas.  With  them  were  a  few  negro 
slaves. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  early  Danish  colonists 
were  of  high  character.  In  fact,  they  resembled 
the  criminal  type  of  sailors,  who,  upon  being 
granted  pardon  for  former  offenses,  were  induced 
to  accompany  Columbus  on  his  first  voyage  of 
discovery.  There  were  also  among  the  first  set- 
tlers a  number  of  Danes  who,  in  order  to  settle 
pressing  debts  and  to  escape  imprisonment  by  their 
creditors,  had  sold  themselves  for  service  in  the 
colony.  Men  of  this  class  were  hardly  promis- 
ing material  for  the  founding  of  a  prosperous 
settlement. 

When  Governor  Iversen  reached  the  scene  of 
his  labors  he  was  compelled  to  adopt  stern  meas- 
ures to  force  his  subjects  to  fulfil  their  contracts 
48 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

and  attend  to  their  duties.  His  first  official  act 
was  the  building  of  a  fort,  which  was  probably 
commenced  in  1672.  It  became  the  residence  not 
only  of  the  governor,  but  also  of  the  Lutheran 
pastor  w^ho  accompanied  the  expedition.  Part  of 
this  fort  is  included  in  the  present  Christian's  Fort 
at  Charlotte-Amalia. 

That  Governor  Iversen  ruled  the  new  colony 
with  an  iron  hand  is  revealed  by  some  of  his  proc- 
lamations. He  commanded  everybody  to  attend 
service  in  the  fort  every  Sunday,  the  penalty  for 
failure  to  attend  being  twenty-five  pounds  of 
tobacco.  There  was  also  provision  for  a  fine  of 
fifty  pounds  of  tobacco  for  the  performance  by 
the  servants  of  the  settlers  of  unnecessary  Sunday 
work.  All  householders  were  obliged  to  keep  in 
their  homes  arms  for  defense  and  a  sufficient  sup- 
ply of  powder  and  ball,  there  being  a  penalty  of 
one  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  for  failure  to  do  so. 
Specific  warnings  were  to  be  given  in  case  of  attack 
from  an  enemy.  Drills  were  held  every  Saturday 
afternoon  in  favorable  weather,  and  there  were 
fines  for  non-attendance.  Departure  from  the 
island  without  permission  of  the  governor  was  also 
punished  with  a  fine,  although  the  proclamation 
4  49 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

did  not  state  how  this  jSne  could  be  collected,  once 
the  transgressor  had  departed.  Servants  must  not 
leave  their  masters,  and  if  they  made  a  practice 
of  running  away,  they  were  to  be  held  in  irons  until 
they  were  broken  of  the  habit. 

The  growing  of  tobacco  was  the  chief  occupa- 
tion of  these  early  colonists,  and  it  is  likely  that 
this  commodity  was  the  principal  article  of  export. 
The  raising  of  cattle  was  an  industry  of  such  im- 
portance that  the  colonists  lived  in  a  constant 
state  of  alarm  because  of  the  raids  made  upon 
their  pastures  by  the  Spaniards  from  Porto  Rico 
and  the  buccaneers  of  Tortola.  It  is  therefore  not 
strange  that  Governor  Iversen  provided  for  the 
arming  of  his  followers;  the  Danes  had  every  reason 
to  guard  themselves  from  molestation  by  inhabi- 
tants of  other  islands.  Even  the  Spaniards  from 
Porto  Rico  took  part  in  the  campaign  against  these 
early  Danes,  and  they  succeeded  in  capturing  Crab 
Island,  over  which  Governor  Iversen  first  claimed 
sovereignty  in  1682.  Two  years  later,  the  place  of 
Crab  Island  was  taken  by  St.  John,  which  was 
then  added  to  the  island  realm  of  which  Iversen 
was  governor.  St.  Croix  did  not  become  a  part  of 
the  Danish  possessions  until  1733. 
50 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

Difficulties  of  another  sort  were  not  lacking. 
A  labor  shortage  was  soon  felt.  The  Danish  ser- 
vants proved  unsatisfactory,  and  the  slaves  who 
belonged  to  Dutch  landowners  did  not  supply  the 
demand  for  workmen.  Word  of  this  condition  of 
affairs  was  sent  to  the  home  government  in  Copen- 
hagen, and  prompt  measures  were  taken  to  meet 
the  colony's  needs.  The  Danish  West  India  and 
Guinea  Company  purchased  land  on  the  Gold 
Coast  of  Africa  and  erected  two  forts.  With  these 
forts  as  a  base,  the  servants  of  the  company  con- 
ducted operations  which  insured  a  constant  supply 
of  slaves  for  the  Antillean  colony. 

In  1685  the  Danish  West  India  Company  found 
its  means  too  limited  to  furnish  a  sufficient  number 
of  ships  for  the  transportation  of  the  necessary 
slaves  to  St.  Thomas  to  supply  the  agricultural 
needs  of  the  landowners,  and  for  the  carrying  of 
the  exports  from  this  island  back  to  the  native 
country.  An  arrangement  was  therefore  made  with 
the  Duchy  of  Brandenburg  to  operate  a  factory 
on  St.  Thomas. 

The  result  is  what  might  have  been  expected, 

for  soon  after  the  erection  of  the  Brandenburg 

Company's  trading  station,  the  Danish  West  India 

51 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Company  found  that  it  was  losing  a  large  amount 
of  its  trade  to  the  new  enterprise.  As  a  conse- 
quence there  was  much  jealousy  between  the  com- 
panies, and  the  older  organization  longed  to  cancel 
the  rights  given  to  the  Brandenburg  Company. 
This  could  not  be  done,  however,  for  the  term  of  the 
contract  ran  until  1716.  It  was  fortunate  that  a 
period  could  not  be  put  earlier  to  the  new  com- 
pany's privileges,  for  it  was  due  to  the  efforts  of 
this  company  that  sugar  cane  supplanted  tobacco 
plantations.  In  those  days  the  price  of  sugar  was 
extremely  high.  Thus,  while  the  Danish  West 
India  Company  was  the  loser  by  the  transaction, 
the  island  of  St.  Thomas  was  materially  benefited. 
At  one  time  the  affairs  of  the  Danish  West 
India  Company  were  at  such  a  low  ebb  that  in 
1690  the  Danish  king  was  compelled  to  rent  the 
entire  colony  of  St.  Thomas,  with  the  exception 
of  the  holdings  of  the  Brandenburg  Company,  to  a 
man  named  Thormohlen,  probably  in  order  to 
secure  to  him  the  liens  which  he  held  upon  the 
property.  The  lease  was  for  a  period  of  ten  years, 
and  Thormohlen  was  obliged  by  the  terms  of  his 
contract  to  maintain  during  this  time  a  garrison. 

The  soldiers  of  this  garrison  arrived  in  1692,  and 
52 


z 


< 

P 
a 

< 

Q 

a 

m 
< 

O 

n 

O 
O 

o 

■< 
K 

HH 
tS3 
•>« 
O 
< 

o 

ca 

H 
i-i 


i. 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

these  were  the  first  regular  troops  to  be  stationed 
in  Christian's  Fort. 

St.  Thomas  lies  in  latitude  18  degrees  20 
minutes  N.  and  longitude  64  degrees  55  minutes 
W.,  and  is  but  forty  miles  from  Porto  Rico  and 
twenty-five  miles  from  the  island  of  Culebra.  A 
vessel  going  from  St.  Thomas  to  Porto  Rico  is 
always  sheltered  by  the  cays  lying  between  the 
islands.  Even  small  c^aft  are  generally  safe  in 
making  the  passage.  Owing  to  the  prevailing 
easterly  trade  winds,  it  is  easier  to  go  from  St. 
Thomas  to  Porto  Rico  in  a  sailing  vessel  than  it  is 
to  return  by  the  same  means;  while  it  not  infre- 
quently takes  but  five  hours  to  go  from  Charlotte- 
Amalia  to  the  port  of  Fajardo  on  the  east  coast  of 
Porto  Rico,  the  return  voyage  has  been  known  to 
take  from  two  to  three  days.  This  difference  is 
partly  due  to  the  strong  currents  running  between 
the  islands  which  offer  a  serious  impediment  when 
the  wind  is  light. 

The  island  is  admirably  situated  for  communi- 
cation with  other  ports.  It  is  on  a  direct  line  be- 
tween Europe  and  the  entrance  to  the  Panama 
Canal.     Furthermore,  vessels  plying  between  the 

Atlantic  ports  of  North  America  and  the  Atlantic 

53 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

ports  of  South  America  must  pass  directly  by  the 
island,  which  is  situated  fourteen  hundred  miles 
from  New  York,  one  thousand  miles  from  Colon 
and  five  hundred  miles  from  La  Guaira,  the  chief 
port  of  the  Republic  of  Venezuela.  Thus  the  enthu- 
siastic traveler  was  not  far  wrong  who  said  that  St. 
Thomas  is  "the  place  which  is  on  the  way  to  every 
other  place."  He  justified  this  description  by  adding : 
"When  the  sailor  lays  his  course  for  any  part 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  the  tip  of  his  horny  finger 
points  to  St.  Thomas.  To  call  the  Uttle  island  the 
gateway  of  the  Caribbean  is  not  poetic  fancy.  The 
shortest  and  best  course  from  England  to  any 
Central  American  port,  for  steamer  or  sail,  is  by 
St.  Thomas.  For  the  liner  from  the  United  States 
to  Brazil,  the  most  convenient  port  of  call  is  St. 
Thomas.  To  go  from  the  Greater  to  the  Lesser 
Antilles,  one  goes  by  way  of  St.  Thomas.  Nature 
has  given  this  half-way  house  of  the  sea  a  prestige 
that  even  the  commercial  supremacy  of  Barbadoes 
has  not  overshadowed." 

St.  Thomas  is  surrounded  by  seventeen  islands 

and  cays  and  by  an  innumerable  number  of  rocks. 

The  islands  and  cays  are  mostly  very  small,  the 

largest  being  Water  Island,  which  is  two  and  one- 

54 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

half  miles  long  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide, 
and  Hans  Lollik,  one  and  one-half  miles  long  and 
one  mile  wide.  Most  of  these  cays  are  rocky  and 
elevated,  and  all  are  uninhabited,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Water  Island  and  Thatch  Cay. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  of  the  cays  is  a 
small  island  called  Sail  Rock,  so  called  because 
this  mountainous  rock  when  viewed  from  the  east- 
ward has  the  exact  appearance  of  a  vessel  under 
sail.  There  is  a  tradition  that  there  was  once  an 
engagement  between  a  French  frigate  and  this 
little  island.  In  the  night  the  commanding  officer 
of  the  frigate  ran  close  to  Sail  Rock,  which  he  took 
for  a  privateersman.  He  hailed  the  supposed  ship, 
and  the  echoes  from  the  rock  returned  the  hail. 
Receiving  no  satisfactory  answer  from  the  "pri- 
vateersman," the  commander  gave  orders  to  fire. 
The  echoes  returned  the  noise  of  the  cannonade. 
As  the  frigate  was  very  close  to  Sail  Rock,  some  of 
the  cannon  balls  ricochetted  and  gave  the  impres- 
sion that  the  adversary  was  giving  battle.  It  is 
said  that  the  engagement  continued  for  some  hours. 
Not  until  dawn  did  the  commander  of  the  frigate 
realize  his  mistake  and  retire  from  the  scene  in 

mortification. 

55 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

The  length  of  St.  Thomas  is  thirteen  miles, 
while  its  average  width  is  about  two  miles.  The 
area  is  28.25  square  miles,  or  about  eighteen  thou- 
sand acres,  of  which  only  about  five  hundred  acres 
are  under  cultivation,  while  possibly  two  thousand 
acres  are  used  for  pasturage.  The  island  is  really 
nothing  more  than  a  range  of  hills  running  east 
and  west,  with  branching  spurs.  There  is  prac- 
tically no  level  land.  The  highest  elevation  toward 
the  western  part  of  the  island,  is  1515  feet.  This 
hill  is  called  West  Mountain.  The  next  highest 
peak.  Signal  Hill,  in  the  center  of  the  island,  has 
an  elevation  of  1500  feet. 

While  the  island  is  not  as  well  watered  as  St. 
John — ^which  has  the  largest  water  supply  of  the 
three  islands,  probably  owing  to  the  presence  of 
forests,  which  are  absent  on  both  St.  Thomas  and 
St.  Croix — there  are  a  number  of  springs  on  the 
northern  side.  An  absolute  water  shortage,  such 
as  is  occasionally  experienced  on  some  of  the  smaller 
Antillean  islands,  has  not  been  known  to  occur 
here.  There  is  but  one  small  stream,  and  this 
loses  itself  in  the  hills;  probably  it  finds  an  outlet 
to  the  sea  through  a  fissure  in  the  rocks. 

According  to  geologists,  the  island  is  composed 
56 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

for  the  most  part  of  a  mass  of  Trappean  rocks  of 
various  colors,  and  these  rocks  contain  many  veins 
of  quartz  which  can  be  observed  wherever  a  cut 
has  been  made  in  the  rocks  along  the  road.  Much 
of  the  rock  has  decomposed,  and  is  still  decompos- 
ing into  yellow  or  reddish  clay.  The  aborigines 
made  their  pottery  from  this  clay.  In  places  the 
rock  also  decomposes  into  a  whitish  marl. 

With  the  exception  of  red  ochre,  there  are  no 
known  minerals  on  St.  Thomas.  In  a  few  places 
can  be  seen  the  white  coraline  hmestone  so  typical 
of  the  western  Antilles. 

While  the  agriculturist  can  obtain  remarkable 
results  because  of  the  wonderful  climate  and  a 
fairly  equable  rainfall,  the  soil  in  most  places  is 
thin  and  it  is  liable  to  be  washed  from  the  hill 
slopes  on  which  it  is  found. 

It  is  more  than  likely  that  St.  Thomas  at  one 
time  was  covered  with  dense  forests,  but  none  of 
these  remain  today.  The  trees  were  probably 
felled  by  the  earlier  settlers  and  the  valuable  woods 
found  in  them  were  sold  or  used  for  the  local  manu- 
facture of  furniture. 

St.  Thomas  harbor  is  located  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  island,  and  its  entrance  faces  almost 

57 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

due  south.  The  mouth  is  fairly  narrow,  although 
its  width  of  nine  hundred  feet  is  ample  for  large 
vessels.  After  passing  through  the  narrow  en- 
trance, the  harbor  gradually  expands  into  a  large, 
circular  bowl  some  two  miles  in  diameter.  A 
somewhat  fanciful  geological  theory  claims  that 
the  harbor  is  formed  by  the  crater  of  a  submerged, 
extinct  volcano.  This  theory  has  been  suggested 
more  because  of  the  shape  of  the  harbor  basin  than 
because  of  the  evidence  of  geological  formation. 

For  many  years,  navigators  found  it  difficult 
to  locate  the  southern  shore  of  St.  Thomas  during 
the  night,  and  they  were  compelled  to  wait  for 
daybreak  before  entering  the  harbor.  Since  the 
erection  of  a  lighthouse  on  Buck  Island,  passage 
in  the  night  has  become  possible,  but  even  now  the 
services  of  the  pilot  who  meets  ships  outside  the 
harbor  entrance  are  needed. 

A  traveler  once  gave  the  following  true  and 
picturesque  description  of  the  first  sight  of  Char- 
lotte-Amalia  by  the  tourist  who  enters  the  harbor : 

"The  view  from  deck,  as  the  ship  creeps  into 

the  anchorage,  is  the  most  charming  in  the  West 

Indies.    The  bay  lacks  the  great  sweep  of  Algiers, 

but  it  has  the  same  mountain  background,  the 

58 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

same  glorious  blue  of  sea  and  sky.  The  village, 
blue  and  orange  and  yellow  and  red,  recalls 
some  of  the  coast  towns  of  Italy.  The  garden 
walls  of  the  hillside  villas  shine  out  dazzlingly 
white  against  the  luxurious  green  of  the  tropical 
fohage.  The  ruins  of  Bluebeard's  castle  above 
the  town — a  landmark  of  the  old  days  of  the 
buccaneer — present  the  only  touch  of  gray.  The 
rest  is  a  riot  of  color.  Most  striking  of  all  is  the 
gaudy  red  Danish  fortress  down  by  the  water 
front.  I  have  never  seen  so  red  a  building.  At 
first  it  is  glaring  and  unpleasant,  but  after  a  time 
one's  eyes  become  accustomed  to  the  new  scale  of 
color  values  which  the  intense  sun  of  the  tropics 
requires.  And  the  bizarre  glory  of  the  fort — which 
would  be  unspeakably  offensive  in  a  gray  mantle 
— seems  to  be  not  out  of  place  in  the  color  scheme 
of  St.  Thomas.  The  town  of  Charlotte- Amalia 
has  taken  the  atmosphere  of  Algiers  and  the  gor- 
geous coloring  of  Venice,  rolled  them  into  one,  and 
reduced  it  to  miniature." 

On  passing  the  harbor's  mouth,  one  is  imme- 
diately reminded  by  Cowell's  Battery  of  the  British 
occupation  of  1801  and  1802.  This  battery  was 
erected  by  Colonel  Cowell  during  this  period.    It 

59 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

was  constructed  upon  the  highest  elevation  of 
Hassel  Island.  Nearby  lie  buried  the  soldiers  who 
died  during  the  occupation.  On  the  shore,  below 
the  hill,  are  the  remains  of  an  early  Danish  strong- 
hold, which  antedates  the  British  fortifications. 
Near  the  old  Danish  fort  is  the  gaily  painted  pow- 
der magazine,  which  was  used  as  a  storehouse  for 
explosives  during  the  latter  days  of  the  Danish 
occupation. 

To-day,  Cowell's  Battery  is  used  as  a  signal 
station,  and  it  is  from  here  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Charlotte-Amalia  learn  of  the  coming  of  vessels 
to  St.  Thomas  Harbor.  A  mast  with  a  yard-arm 
serves  to  support  the  semaphore  and  a  number  of 
wicker  balls.  The  positions  of  the  balls  and  of  the 
semaphore  arms  indicate  whether  an  incoming  ship 
is  a  sailing  vessel,  a  steamer  or  a  man-of-war,  its 
nationality  and  the  direction  from  which  it  is 
coming.  Without  this  signal  station,  a  number  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Charlotte-Amalia  would  be  de- 
prived of  their  chief  interest,  and  their  greatest 
source  of  gossip. 

The  citizens  say  that  at  one  time  a  Siamese 
man-of-war  called  at  St.  Thomas  in  order  to  obtain 
a  supply  of  coal  for  its  bunkers.     On  seeing  the 
60 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

ship  approach,  the  watchman  on  the  signal  hill  did 
not  find  in  his  signal  book  any  instructions  inform- 
ing him  what  position  to  give  the  balls  and  the 
semaphore  for  a  man-of-war  of  this  nationality. 
In  desperation,  he  rigged  up  his  signal  mast  with 
all  the  wicker  spheres  he  happened  to  have  on  hand. 
Naturally  the  people  became  greatly  excited  and 
made  all  sorts  of  hurried  preparations  for  inter- 
national festivities,  for  they  thought  that  the  com- 
bined navies  of  the  world  were  coming  to  visit 
their  little  island. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  excursions  on  St. 
Thomas  may  be  taken  by  rowboat  to  Cowell's 
Point,  and  thence  up  the  hill  upon  which  the 
battery  is  located.  The  existence  on  the  rocks 
below  the  signal  station  of  a  large  sign  which  adver- 
tises the  bay  rum  of  a  local  manufacturer,  does 
much  to  spoil  an  otherwise  perfect  view.  During 
the  hurricane  of  October,  1916,  the  sign  was  blown 
down,  but  this  offensive  eyesore  to  all  visitors 
approaching  St.  Thomas  Harbor  has  unfortunately 
been  restored. 

Directly  opposite  Hassel  Island,  on  Muhlenfers 
Point,  is  the  quarantine  station.  This,  happily,  is 
seldom  needed  for  its  intended  purpose.    When  no 

61 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

patients  are  residing  there,  it  is  occasionally  rented 
out  to  picnic  parties  from  Charlotte-Amalia.  This 
is  a  delightful  spot  for  a  temporary  sojourn,  for 
the  sea  bathing  here  is  the  best  on  the  island. 

The  harbor  of  St.  Thomas  presents  little  diflS- 
culty  to  navigation.  The  few  obstructions  beneath 
the  surface  have  been  marked  by  buoys,  while  the 
rocks  which  extend  above  sea  level  have  been  care- 
fully whitewashed.  A  number  of  range-Hghts  also 
protect  the  harbor  and  serve  to  keep  the  incoming 
ship  in  its  proper  channel.  The  harbor  is  land- 
locked, and  the  safety  of  ships  in  the  harbor  is 
jeopardized  only  when  the  dreaded  West  Indian 
hurricanes  strike  St.  Thomas  from  a  southerly 
direction. 

But  for  the  hurricanes  St.  Thomas  would  be  an 
earthly  paradise.  The  climate  is  healthy  for  new- 
comers, even  for  those  who  are  unaccustomed  to 
the  tropics,  and  it  is  especially  enjoyable  during 
the  winter  months.  The  greatest  heat  is  felt  in 
August,  September  and  October,  but  even  then 
the  thermometer  seldom  goes  above  91  degrees 
Fahrenheit,  while  the  average  temperature  is  84 
degrees  Fahrenheit.     In  winter  the  temperature 

occasionally  drops  as  low  as  G7  degrees,  and  the 
62 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

nights  are  so  chilly  that  it  is  necessary  to  sleep 
under  a  blanket. 

The  rainfall  is  not  excessive;  it  averages  about 
forty-seven  inches  per  year.  May,  August,  Sep- 
tember, October  and  November  are  the  rainy 
months,  but  it  is  not  unusual  for  a  drought  to 
prevail  for  six  or  even  nine  months.  Such  a  pro- 
longed drought  is  generally  followed  by  severe  rains. 
,  Though  this  is  not  true  of  the  majority  of  West 
Indian  islands,  the  air  of  St.  Thomas  is  bracing. 
Probably  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  island  is 
directly  exposed  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the 
north,  so  that  it  feels  the  cooling  effects  of  this 
large  body  of  water  rather  than  the  tropical  heat 
radiated  by  the  Caribbean  Sea.  For  invalids  and 
for  people  of  delicate  constitution,  the  equable 
cUmate  is  especially  suitable,  and  many  wonderful 
cures  have  been  credited  to  the  island.  All  that 
is  necessary  in  many  cases  is  simply  to  live  long 
enough  in  the  bracing  climate. 

Aside  from  scorpions  and  centipedes,  there  are 
no  poisonous  animals,  and  no  intending  visitor 
need  fear  the  presence  of  the  usual  venomous  in- 
sects of  the  tropics.    There  are  no  snakes  of  any 

variety.     Land   crabs   are   the  chief   annoyance. 

63 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Thanks  to  the  efforts  of  the  government,  there  are 
few  mosquitos  in  the  town  itself,  although  occa- 
sionally sand-flies  and  mosquitos  make  life  a  burden 
in  other  parts  of  the  island,  especially  in  the  rainy 
season. 

Once  the  general  sanitary  conditions  of  Char- 
lotte-Amalia  were  not  entirely  satisfactory,  but 
these  have  been  greatly  improved  by  the  blasting 
of  a  channel  through  the  "Haul-over"  peninsula 
which  connects  Hassel  Island  with  the  mainland 
of  St.  Thomas.  This  channel  permits  a  current  of 
water  to  circulate  through  the  harbor.  Formerly 
the  waters  which  washed  the  shores  of  the  town 
became  stagnant  at  times  and  the  imperceptible 
flow  of  the  ebb  and  flood  tide  was  not  sufficient  to 
carry  off  the  refuse  which  was  emptied  in  the  bay. 
In  consequence,  there  were  a  number  of  typhoid 
fever  epidemics.  Since  the  opening  of  the  new 
channel,  there  has  been  no  more  difficulty. 

Nowadays  there  are  no  epidemics  in  Charlotte- 
Amalia,  owing  to  the  efficient  medical  inspection 
and  the  stringent  quarantine  laws  and  regulations 
made  for  vessels  which  enter  from  infected  ports 
and  the  efficient  medical  inspection.  The  death 
rate  of  the  island  is  remarkably  low,  and  its  inhab- 
64 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

itants  generally  seem  to  die  from  one  disease  only, 
a  disease  for  which  no  cure  has  been  found — old  age. 

Hurricanes  will  always  be  the  principal  draw- 
back to  residence  in  the  West  Indies,  and  St. 
Thomas  does  not  escape  them.  Many  times  the 
island  has  been  visited  by  these  destructive  storms. 
In  1713,  in  1738,  in  1742,  in  1772,  in  1793,  in  1819, 
in  1837,  in  1867  and  again  in  1916,  tropical  storms 
passed  over  the  little  island  and  caused  an  incred- 
ible amount  of  destruction.  These  storms  are 
regarded  with  such  dread  that  it  is  the  custom  of 
the  people,  at  the  commencement  of  the  hurricane 
season,  to  offer  prayers  that  their  island  may 
escape  from  the  horrors  of  the  tempests.  At  the 
end  of  the  season,  they  betake  themselves  to  their 
churches  and  give  thanks  that  the  period  of  danger 
has  been  safely  passed. 

The  last  hurricane,  on  the  night  of  October  9, 
1916,  was  perhaps  one  of  the  most  destructive  ever 
experienced.  The  smaller  negro  cabins  were  bodily 
blown  from  their  foundations  and  smashed  to 
pieces  against  other  buildings  or  trees.  Few  houses 
escaped  without  the  loss  of  their  roofs  or  damage 
of  some  kind.  That  little  loss  of  life  accompanied 
the  hurricanes  was  a  miracle,  for  the  galvanized 
5  65 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

iron  sheets  which  formed  the  roof  coverings  of  the 
houses  were  hurled  through  the  air  hke  projectiles. 
The  rain  which  accompanied  the  hurricane  in  many 
instances  did  more  damage  than  the  wind  itself, 
and  the  stocks  of  a  number  of  merchants  were 
totally  ruined.  Trees  which  for  many  decades  had 
been  the  pride  of  the  town  w^ere  uprooted.  Elec- 
tric light  poles,  branches  of  trees,  pieces  of  gutter- 
ing, spouts  and  tiles  from  the  roofs,  filled  the 
public  thoroughfares  with  a  tangled  mass  of  debris. 
In  the  harbor  the  Danish  bark  Thor  was  wrecked 
on  the  rocks  near  CowelFs  Battery.  The  St.  Hilda 
dredge  was  taken  up  bodily  and  placed  alongside 
the  landing  w^harf  in  three  feet  of  water.  The 
Hamburg- American  liner  Calabria,  which  had  been 
anchored  in  the  harbor  since  the  beginning  of  the 
European  War,  was  thrown  on  the  rocks  east  of 
the  wharf  with  practically  her  entire  bottom 
ripped  out.  The  Wasgenwald,  owned  by  the  same 
company,  was  torn  from  her  moorings  and  driven 
ashore,  but  the  vessel  managed  to  pull  herself  off 
with  but  slight  injuries.  The  motor  ship  Anholt 
was  thro^vn  high  and  dry  on  the  beach.  A  number 
of  sailing  vessels  foundered  in  the  harbor.  Two  large 
electric  conveyers  of  the  Danish  West  India  Com- 
66 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

pany  were  reduced  to  a  tangled  mass  of  scrap  iron. 

On  the  morning  of  October  10,  when  the  extent 
of  the  damage  caused  during  the  night  could  be 
perceived,  the  Danish  officials  took  prompt  and 
active  steps,  not  only  to  give  relief  to  the  sufferers 
but  also  to  restore  the  town  as  far  as  possible  to 
its  usual  immaculate  condition.  In  many  instances 
money  was  given  to  the  poor  to  enable  them  to 
build  new  houses.  In  other  cases  money  was 
loaned  without  interest. 

In  addition  to  these  means  of  bringing  relief, 
the  government  placed  gangs  at  work  on  the  moun- 
tain roads,  which  in  many  instances  had  been 
completely  effaced,  and  restored  them  to  their 
proper  condition.  A  little  park  on  the  water  front 
which,  until  the  night  of  the  hurricane,  had  been 
one  of  the  principal  attractions  of  Charlotte- 
Amalia,  and  which  was  almost  completely  demol- 
ished, was  cleaned  up  and  the  uprooted  trees  were 
replanted  when  this  was  possible.  Even  after  the 
officials  of  the  island  were  informed  that  the  sale 
of  the  Danish  West  Indies  was  a  certainty  they 
did  not  in  any  way  diminish  their  efforts  towards 
effacing  the  damage  caused  by  the  storm;  they 

seemed  to  think  it  a  sacred  duty  to  hand  over  the 

67 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

islands  to  the  United  States  in  as  good  condition 
as  possible. 

While,  of  course,  the  damage  caused  by  one  of 
these  hurricanes  is  enormous,  one  must  take  into 
consideration  the  fact  that  tropical  houses  as  a 
general  rule  are  but  lightly  built  and  easily  blown 
down.  No  true  West  Indian  will  learn  from  the 
last  hurricane  that  he  should  prepare  his  new  abode 
in  conformity  with  the  demands  that  may  be  made 
upon  its  strength  by  any  subsequent  storm.  For 
this  reason  the  inhabitants  of  the  Antilles  are  fre- 
quently a  great  deal  to  blame  for  the  fact  that  their 
homes  have  suffered  the  effects  of  a  hurricane. 
The  damage  done  in  the  agricultural  areas,  while 
large,  is  not  noticeable  three  months  after  the 
passing  of  a  storm,  as  in  the  luxuriant  climate  of 
St.  Thomas  practically  all  destroyed  vegetation  is 
quickly  replaced. 

Earthquakes  also  sometimes  occur,  and  these 
are  most  frequent  in  the  months  of  January,  Feb- 
ruary and  March.  No  intending  visitor  to  St. 
Thomas  need,  however,  feel  any  alarm  on  this 
score.  While,  occasionally,  plaster  and  loose  stones 
or  bricks  from  old  walls  have  been  known  to  fall, 

no  instance  has  yet  been  recorded  of  so  much  as  a 

68 


CANAAN    ESTATE    HOUSE,    AFTER    HURRICANE 


HAMBURG-AMERICAN   LINE  OFFICES,    AND  DREDGE  *'ST.  HILDA' 

Driven  Ashore  by  Hurricane 


FIRING   TIME-GUN    BATTERY    ON    WATERFRONT,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


LUTHERAN    CHURCH,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


ON  BEAUTIFUL  ST.  THOMAS 

wall  being  thrown  down.  Usually  the  shocks  seem 
to  come  from  the  south  and  pass  off  toward  the 
north.  Rarely  are  there  more  than  two  shocks. 
The  earthquakes  have  but  once  been  accompanied 
by  marine  disturbances,  such  as  tidal  waves;  they 
appear  to  be  nothing  but  survivals  of  stronger 
shocks  that  may  have  taken  place  in  South  America 
and  been  thence  transmitted  to  St.  Thomas. 


An  old  wood  cut  of  Blackbeard's  Castle, 
Charlotte-Amalia,  St.  Thomas,  made  by  Dr. 
Charles  Taylor.  The  pirate's  flag  is  a  con- 
cession to  popular  sentiment.      ^ 


CHAPTER  IV 
RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

PICTURESQUE  COAL  CARRIERS— WHY  ENGLISH  IS  THE  POPU- 
LAR LANGUAGE— HOW  THE  "RECONCILING-COURT"  DIS- 
COURAGES  LITIGATION— CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOLS- 
STREETS,  GUTTERS  AND  HILLS— THE  FABLES  OF  FOUR 
HILL-TOPS— BUCCANEERS,  BLACKBEARD  AND  BLUEBEARD 
—WHY  THE  GUNS  WERE  FIRED— HOSPITALITY  AND 
FLOWERS— WATER-FRONT  ACTIVITY 

THE  smiling  little  town  of  Charlotte- 
Amalia  nestles  among  four  hills,  which 
branch  southward  from  the  main  range 
of  the  island.  No  stranger  can  fail  to  be  im- 
pressed by  the  beauty  of  the  situation  of  the 
picturesque  town  and  no  native  of  St.  Thomas  can 
return  here  after  an  absence,  be  it  ever  so  short, 
without  being  thoroughly  content  with  his  original 
choice  of  residence. 

Charlotte-Amalia  was  the  seat  of  government 
when  Denmark  ruled,  and  the  governor  of  the 
three  islands  spent  six  months  out  of  the  year  here 
and  the  other  six  months  on  the  island  of  St.  Croix. 
The  town  was  named  after  the  consort  of  Christian 
V,  in  whose  time  it  was  founded.  On  the  earliest 
records  the  name  of  the  town  was  Tappus,  but  why 
70 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

this  name  was  used  is  not  known.  The  population 
is  about  eight  thousand,  though  there  are  only 
about  ten  thousand  people  on  the  entire  island. 
That  there  are  many  more  women  than  men  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  so  many  of  the  men  have  been 
forced  to  leave  the  island  to  gain  a  living. 

Fully  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  total  population 
is  negro,  but,  despite  this  fact,  the  St.  Thomian 
negroes  are  far  more  polite  than  any  other  negroes 
in  the  West  Indies;  they  do  not  seem  to  wish  to 
be  on  a  footing  of  equality  with  their  white  fellow- 
citizens.  This  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  excellent 
and  kind  training  given  them  during  the  Danish 
rule,  the  results  of  which  will  show  for  many  years. 
If  in  the  future  the  same  treatment  is  accorded  the 
natives,  there  will  be  no  troubles  between  the 
whites  and  the  negroes. 

Because  of  hard  times  the  negroes  of  St.  Thomas 

have  been  too  frequently  forced  to  leave  their 

beloved  little  island  and  seek  a  living  elsewhere. 

These  absentees  from  home  make  splendid  servants. 

Happy  indeed  does  a  housewife  in  the  West  Indies 

count  herself  who  possesses  a  St.  Thomian  for  a 

house-servant.    Her  less  fortunate  sisters  who  have 

to  content  themselves  with  an  inefficient  and  at 

71 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

times  insolent  servant  from  Barbadoes,  or  some 
other  British  island,  look  upon  her  with  envy. 

The  stay-at-home  St.  Thomian  depends  for  a 
living  chiefly  upon  the  ships  that  come  to  Charlotte- 
Amalia,  either  to  load  or  to  discharge  their  cargoes. 
He  or  she,  as  the  case  may  be, — for  the  women  work 
as  hard  as  the  men, — easily  finds  work  as  a  steve- 
dore upon  one  of  these  vessels,  or  else  as  a  coal- 
carrier  on  the  wharves  which  supply  ships  calling 
at  this  port  in  order  to  fill  their  bunkers. 

The  stevedore's  wages  are  one  dollar  per  day. 
The  coal-carrier  is  paid  according  to  the  amount 
of  work  done.  Until  January,  1917,  the  rate  for 
coal-carriers  was  a  cent  for  every  basket  brought 
on  board.  By  dint  of  hard  work  some  of  the 
stronger  laborers  were  enabled  to  make  as  much 
as  two  dollars  a  day,  but  this  was  possible,  of 
course,  for  only  a  few  days  each  week.  To  earn 
two  dollars  it  was  necessary  to  fill  two  hundred 
baskets,  each  of  which  contained  from  eighty-five 
to  ninety-five  pounds  of  coal,  and  to  toil  with  these 
from  the  coal  heap  up  a  steeply -inclined  gangway  to 
the  bunkers  of  the  ship.  A  labor  union  formed  in 
Charlotte-Amalia,  in  imitation  of  a  similar  organi- 
zation founded  two  years  earlier  in  St.  Croix,  has 
72 


TYPICAL    COAL   CARRIERS,    CHARLOTTE- 
AMALIA 


^^r::?^Sa»*»v 


.""    mbASm 


CUSTOM    HOUSE    AND    POST    OFFICE,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA,    ST.    THOMAS 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

succeeded  in  raising  the  rate  per  basket  from  one 
cent  to  two  cents.  A  few  strikes  occurred  before 
the  coal  companies  agreed  to  this  increase,  but  in 
the  end  matters  were  settled  amicably.  The 
workers  took  advantage  of  the  fact  that  the  large 
electric  cranes,  which  had  been  erected  by  the 
West  India  Company  not  long  before,  and  which 
were  capable  of  handling  one  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  of  coal  per  hour,  had  been  completely  wrecked 
by  the  hurricane  of  October,  1916.  Yet  it  is  true 
that  the  increased  cost  of  living,  and  the  fact  that 
few  ships  have  called  at  St.  Thomas  since  the 
outbreak  of  the  European  War,  made  higher  wages 
imperative. 

At  best,  the  lot  of  the  faithful  coal-carriers  is 
not  enviable.  The  work  is  hard  and  the  workers 
are  exposed  to  weather  of  all  kinds,  from  the  in- 
tense tropical  heat  of  the  waterfront  to  the  drench- 
ing downpour  of  the  rainy  season.  In  spite  of 
these  hardships,  the  laborers  are  a  cheerful  lot. 
They  reside  in  a  part  of  the  town  known  as  the 
"Back-of-AU." 

The  port  of  San  Juan  on  Porto  Rico  has  of  late 

years  become  a  serious  rival  of  St.  Thomas  for  the 

coaling  of  ships.     A  number  of  steamship  lines 

73 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

which  for  years  called  at  Charlotte-Amalia  are 
now  going  to  San  Juan,  where  coal  is  cheaper, 
owing  to  the  greater  proximity  to  the  ports  of  the 
United  States  and  the  better  facilities  which  have 
been  provided  for  the  supplying  of  ships  with 
bunker  coal.  It  is  thought  that  when  the  United 
States  establishes  a  naval  base  on  the  island,  the 
increased  demand  for  laborers  and  the  better  pay 
which  they  undoubtedly  will  receive  will  go  far 
toward  bettering  their  lot  and  the  conditions  under 
which  they  live. 

As  a  race  the  St.  Thomians  are  far  from  indo- 
lent. They  are  hard-working  and  willing,  but  not 
very  efficient,  judged  by  northern  standards. 
Their  employers  find  it  advisable  to  cajole  them, 
instead  of  using  harsh  words  to  them.  If  the 
laborers  are  treated  in  a  kind  manner,  they  are 
willing  to  go  to  all  sorts  of  extremes  to  repay  the 
treatment. 

Though,  of  course,  Danish  was  the  official 
language  under  the  rule  of  Denmark,  it  is  rare 
indeed  to  find  a  native  of  St.  Thomas  who  is 
acquainted  with  it.  All  government  notices  were 
printed  in  both  Danish  and  English,  while  the  two 
local  newspapers  appeared  in  the  English  language. 
74 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

But  for  the  fact  that  the  streets  bear  Danish  names, 
the  visitor  would  not  reaKze  that  he  is  in  a  former 
colony  of  Denmark.  The  Danish  language  was 
never  forced  upon  the  inhabitants  by  the  govern- 
ment, and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  would  have 
had  but  little  use  for  it,  since  their  principal  com- 
mercial relations  have  been  with  the  English- 
speaking  races. 

OiBFenses  of  a  criminal  nature  are  almost  un- 
known on  the  island.  A  few  instances  of  theft 
were  so  severely  punished  that  grand  larceny  was 
completely  stamped  out.  While  a  St.  Thomian  is 
not  above  appropriating  to  himself  or  to  his  family 
food  from  his  master's  table  or  any  small  trifle 
that  happens  to  strike  his  fancy,  it  cannot  be  said 
that  predetermined  stealing  is  part  of  his  nature. 

Little  happens  to  disturb  the  quiet  of  the  tropi- 
cal dolce-far-niente  of  Charlotte-Amalia.  A  quarrel 
between  two  jealous  female  coal-carriers,  or  the 
bibulous  noise  made  by  a  convivial  laborer  on 
pay  day,  are  about  the  only  disturbances  that  call 
for  the  interference  of  the  few  policemen  neces- 
sary on  the  island.  The  law  courts  are  most  de- 
serted, and  only  one  professional  lawyer  resides  in 
Charlotte-Amalia. 

75 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

During  the  Danish  rule,  St.  Thomas  boasted 
of  a  system  which  the  other  West  Indian  islands, 
where  litigation  at  times  proves  costly,  might  do 
well  to  adopt.  This  is  the  **reconciling-court.'* 
If  an  employer,  for  instance,  became  involved  in 
a  dispute  with  his  clerk  as  to  the  w^ages  due  the 
latter,  the  clerk  was  not  obliged  either  to  accept 
his  employer's  decision  or  to  hire  an  expensive 
lawyer  to  defend  his  interests.  Either  the  clerk 
or  his  employer  could  call  on  the  two  reconciling 
judges  of  the  court,  who  were  appointed  from  the 
people  by  the  governor.  The  plaintiff  could  then 
state  his  case  and  request  the  judges  to  take  the 
matter  up.  Both  parties  would  then  be  summoned 
and  each  would  be  allowed  to  tell  his  side  of  the 
question  at  issue.  The  judges  would  give  their 
opinion  off-hand  and  attempt  to  effect  a  settle- 
ment between  the  disputants.  Generally  this 
would  succeed,  and  the  matter  would  be  finished. 
By  this  simple  means  many  a  costly  lawsuit  was 
prevented  and  thus  the  long  delays  of  northern 
law  courts  were  unknown.  If  those  who  appeared 
before  the  **reconciling-court"  professed  them- 
selves as  being  content  with  the  decision  of  the 
judges  and  did  not  carry  out  the  stipulations  of 
76 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

this  decision  afterwards,  they  were  severely  and 
summarily  dealt  with.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
decision  of  the  judges  was  not  satisfactory  to  them, 
and  they  stated  that  they  wished  to  carry  the 
matter  to  the  regular  law  courts,  they  were  at 
liberty  to  do  so. 

Since  the  days  of  its  foundation,  Charlotte- 
Amalia  has  always  welcomed  religious  bodies  of 
all  denominations.  The  official  religion  of  the 
Danish  government  was  Lutheran,  and  ministers 
of  this  creed  were  sent  out  by  the  Crown;  but  no 
restrictions  were  placed  upon  the  followers  of 
other  beliefs,  and  as  a  result  the  little  town  has  a 
diversity  of  houses  of  worship.  Perhaps  the  hand- 
somest of  these  buildings  is  the  Memorial  Church 
of  the  Moravian  Brethren.  To-day  the  Mora- 
vians are  one  of  the  strongest  sects  on  the  island, 
and  their  missionaries  take  the  most  active  meas- 
ures to  better  the  conditions  of  the  St.  Thomas 
laboring  classes. 

At  first  the  Lutheran  congregation  worshipped 
in  Christian's  Fort.  In  1793  the  new  church 
building  was  consecrated  and  was  used  until  1826, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  church  was 
soon  rebuilt,  and  it  has  been  used  since  1827. 

77 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Until  the  hurricane  of  1916,  it  was  chiefly  notice- 
able because  of  the  beautiful,  symmetrical  avenue 
of  royal  palms  which  led  from  the  gate  to  the 
steps  of  the  building.  These  were  totally  destroyed. 
It  will  be  many  years  before  this  attractive  feature 
of  the  surroundings  of  the  old  building  can  be 
restored. 

Like  the  Lutheran  Church,  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  was  founded  in  Charlotte-Amalia 
on  the  first  settlement  of  the  town.  It  is  possible 
even  that  it  antedated  the  Lutheran  congregation, 
for  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  first  Dutch 
settlers  in  1666  had  their  own  pastor  with  them. 
The  present  building  used  by  the  congregation  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  was  erected  in  1846, 
the  two  previous  buildings  having  been  destroyed 
by  fire. 

There  is  also  a  large  and  imposing  Roman 
Catholic  church  in  Charlotte-Amalia.  This  was 
built  about  1844.  Either  Spanish  or  French 
supplements  Latin  in  the  services,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  majority  of  the  Catholics  are  natives 
of  the  French  or  Spanish-speaking  islands  of  the 
Antilles.    Occasionally  there  are  services  in  English. 

The  Episcopal   Church  has   many   adherents, 
78 


Photograph  supplied  by  William   i.  I '■       ■.:'--i 

REFORMED    DUTCH    CHURCH,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 
Organised  1688 


Photograph  by  Clarence  Taylor 

CHRIST    CHURCH,    WESLEYAN,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


Photograph  b\- (  ;.irci:' e    I   i 

MEMORIAL    CHURCH,    MORAVIAN,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


Photograph  by  Clarence  Taylor 

ALL    saints'    ANGLICAN    CHURCH,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

and  services  are  held  in  a  handsome  building 
which  was  erected  some  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago. 

In  addition  to  the  other  denominations  named, 
the  French  Huguenots  and  the  Jews  have  places 
of  worship. 

Good  public  schools  have  been  founded  for 
education  in  the  lower  grades,  and  Charlotte- 
Amalia  compares  favorably  in  this  respect  with 
towns  of  its  size  almost  anywhere.  Facilities  for 
higher  education,  however,  are  woefully  lacking. 
The  more  well-to-do  of  the  people  are  obliged  to 
send  their  children  to  the  United  States  or  to 
other  countries  for  their  final  education.  It  is 
also  to  be  regretted  that  St.  Thomas  does  not 
possess  a  well-equipped  trade  school  where  the 
negroes  can  be  instructed  in  the  handicrafts.  The 
Moravian  missionaries  have  made  successful  efforts 
to  instruct  their  followers  in  craftsmanship,  but 
otherwise  the  only  manner  in  which  artisans  can 
learn  their  trades  is  by  apprenticing  themselves 
to  a  master  workman. 

The  town  has  but  one  level  street  of  any  length. 

This  is  the  Main  street  and  it  is  parallel  to  the 

waterfront.    On  this  are  the  shops  and  warehouses 

and   here   merchants   and   shipping   agents   have 

79 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

their  oflBces.  All  other  streets  run  at  right  angles 
to  the  main  street  and  are  quite  precipitous,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  the  town  lies 
on  four  hills.  These  hills  are,  from  west  to  east, 
Frenchmen's  Hill,  Delanois  Hill,  Government  Hill, 
and  Luchetti's  Hill.  Many  of  the  streets  are 
called  streets  by  courtesy  only,  for  they  consist  of 
a  series  of  stone  steps  which  lead  to  the  heights 
above.  Parallel  to  these  steps  run  stone  gutters 
which,  in  rainy  spells,  carry  the  water  down  hill 
to  the  sea.  These  gutters  are  locally  known  as 
"guts,"  and  on  St.  Thomas  a  gut  may  mean  any- 
thing from  a  ravine  to  a  small  watercourse.  The 
streets  and  steps  are  always  kept  extremely  clean. 
This  work  is  done  for  the  most  part  by  the  petty 
offenders  from  the  prison  in  the  fort.  The  houses, 
many  of  which  have  most  picturesque  grilled  iron 
gateways,  are  painted  in  all  colors  and,  with  their 
scarlet  roofs,  they  give  a  gay  touch  of  color  to  the 
pretty  town. 

Charlotte-Amalia  is  lighted  by  electricity,  and 
good  service  both  for  streets  and  residences  is 
given  by  the  electric  company.  The  town  also 
has  a  good  ice-plant  and  its  markets  for  the  selling 
of  produce  and  meat  are  well  arranged.  In  the 
80 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

fish-market  a  supply  of  fresh  fish  can  always  be 
obtained  m  the  mornings,  and  fruit,  brought  by 
small  saiHng-vessels  from  the  neighboring  British 
islands,  can  generally  be  purchased. 

Frenchmen's  Hill  is  so  called  from  the  fact 
that,  in  the  early  days,  the  section  of  the  town  in 
which  is  this  hill  was  chosen  by  the  French  Hugue- 
not refugees  as  their  abode.  The  hill  forms 
the  extreme  western  boundary  of  the  town.  The 
next  hill,  toward  the  center  of  Charlotte-Amalia, 
Delanois  Hill,  is  named  after  one  of  the  early 
settlers.  Upon  the  crest  are  two  beacon  lights 
which,  when  held  in  line,  serve  to  indicate  to 
vessels  entering  the  harbor  the  proper  channel. 
Here  also  can  be  seen  the  former  Delanois  residence 
and  the  house  which,  at  one  time,  was  occupied 
by  General  Santa  Anna  of  Mexico,  who  came  to 
St.  Thomas,  after  being  expelled  from  his  native 
country,  to  pass  his  declining  years  in  the  quiet 
of  Charlotte-Amalia.  The  older  residents  still 
remember  seeing  this  noted  warrior  in  their  early 
childhood,  and  enjoy  telling  visitors  of  the  general 
and  how  he  stumped  about  the  town  on  his  wooden 
leg. 

The  central  portion  of  Charlotte-Amalia  is 
6  81 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

built  upon  Government  Hill.  Here  are  the  official 
residence  of  the  governor  during  the  Danish  rule 
and  the  former  Danish  Government  offices.  Few 
colonies  of  the  West  Indies  boast  of  a  government- 
house  equal  in  quiet  splendor  to  that  found  on 
St.  Thomas.  Here  the  magnificent  functions  were 
always  held  for  visiting  men-of-warsmen,  and  naval 
officers  of  all  nations  counted  a  stay  in  St.  Thomas 
harbor  one  of  the  most  pleasant  visits  made  by 
them  in  the  West  Indies.  The  large  ballroom  of 
the  residence,  with  its  enormous  chandeliers  and 
wonderful  old  colonial  mahogany  furniture,  is 
especially  handsome. 

The  making  of  mahogany  furniture  always  was 
a  specialty  of  the  craftsmen  of  the  island,  and 
some  of  their  finest  pieces  are  to  be  found  here. 
Once  visiting  tourists  were  successful  in  discover- 
ing antiques  of  this  kind  in  the  little  carpenter 
shops  of  the  town,  but  so  much  has  been  carried  off 
that  few  specimens  are  obtainable  to-day. 

On  Government  Hill  is  also  Blackbeard's 
Castle,  named  after  the  celebrated  John  Teach, 
alias  Blackbeard.  No  proof  has  ever  been  brought 
forward  that  this  pirate,  or  any  other  pirate,  ever 

actually  resided  on  the  island,  although  in  the 
82 


> 


w 

a 

3) 
S 
J. 

^^ 
H 


W 


H 


.J 
< 

s 

I 

H 
H 
O 

< 

a 
o 

Q 
i-i 

n 
o 

H 

H 
i/5 


Q 
Q 

o 

> 
o 
o 

Ex 

o 
;?: 

Q 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

early  days  raids  by  the  buccaneers  were  not 
uncommon.  Furthermore,  no  authentic  record 
has  ever  been  found  that  John  Teach  resided  upon 
St.  Thomas.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  this 
interesting  old  residence,  one  of  the  first  built  in 
Charlotte-Amalia  and  one  of  the  very  few  remain- 
ing to-day  that  hark  back  to  the  settlement  of  the 
island,  cannot  lay  claim  to  having  been  the  abode 
of  the  interesting  and  notorious  buccaneer. 

The  cold  historical  facts  about  the  castle  are 
that  it  was  built  by  one  Charles  Baggaert,  one 
of  the  more  turbulent  of  Governor  Iversen's  col- 
onists, probably  in  order  to  annoy  the  governor. 
The  "absconder  from  Middelburg,"  as  Baggaert 
is  called  in  some  of  the  early  reports  written  by 
Iversen,  built  himself  a  house  upon  the  hill  over- 
looking the  lately -erected  Christian's  Fort.  Iver- 
sen complained  bitterly  about  Baggaert 's  residence 
that  "it  is  not  advantageous  to  the  fort  that  Bag- 
gaert built  his  house  so  much  higher  than  the 
fort,  in  so  much  that  everyone  who  comes  to  see 
him  can  completely  overlook  it."  This  remark 
of  the  governor  gives  one  an  interesting  sidelight 
on  the  strategic  value  of  Christian's  Fort. 

One  of  the  few  authentic  stories  of  the  activity 

83 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  buccaneers  in  the  Virgin  Islands  is  told  in  the 
Calendar  of  State  Papers,  Colonial  Series,  America 
and  the  West  Indies.  In  1682  Jean  Hamlin  cap- 
tured the  merchant  vessel  La  Trompeuse,  refitted 
her  as  a  man-of-war,  and  made  a  piratical  cruise 
in  the  Caribbean.  For  a  time  he  made  his  head- 
quarters at  St.  Thomas,  whose  governor  not  only 
winked  at  his  misdeeds  but  received  him  as  a 
friend.  From  St.  Thomas,  during  the  early  months 
of  1683,  raids  were  made  on  a  number  of  English 
merchantmen.  Then  came  an  expedition  to  Africa, 
in  which  seventeen  Dutch  and  English  sloops  were 
captured.  On  July  27  La  Trompeuse  returned  to 
St.  Thomas.  The  story  of  what  happened  next 
is  told  by  C.  H.  Haring  in  **The  Buccaneers  in 
the  West  Indies  in  the  XVII  Century": 

**They  were  admitted  and  kindly  received  by 
the  governor,  and  allowed  to  bring  their  plunder 
ashore.  Three  days  later  Captain  Carlile  of 
H.  M.  S.  Francisy  who  had  been  sent  out  by  Gov- 
ernor Stapleton  to  hunt  for  pirates,  sailed  into  the 
harbor,  and  on  being  assured  by  the  pilot  and  by 
an  English  sloop  lying  at  anchor  there  that  the 
ship  before  him  was  the  pirate  La  Trompeusey  in 

the  night  of  the  following  day  he  set  her  on  fire 
84 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

and  blew  her  up.  Hamlin  and  some  of  the  crew 
were  on  board,  but  after  firing  a  few  shots,  escaped 
to  the  shore.  The  pirate  ship  carried  thirty-two 
guns,  and  if  she  had  not  been  under-manned  Car- 
lile  might  have  encountered  a  formidable  resist- 
ance. The  Governor  of  St.  Thomas  sent  a  note 
of  protest  to  Carlile  for  having,  as  he  said,  secretly- 
set  fire  to  a  frigate  which  had  been  confiscated  to 
the  King  of  Denmark.  Nevertheless  he  sent 
Hamlin  and  his  men  for  safety  in  a  boat  to  another 
part  of  the  island,  and  later  selling  him  a  sloop, 
let  him  sail  away  to  join  the  French  buccaneers  in 
Hispaniola. 

"The  Danish  governor  of  St.  Thomas,  whose 
name  was  Adolf  Esmit,  had  formerly  been  himself 
a  privateer,  and  had  used  his  popularity  on  the 
island  to  eject  from  authority  his  brother,  Nicholas 
Esmit,  the  lawful  governor.  By  protecting  and 
encouraging  pirates — for  a  consideration,  of  course 
— he  proved  a  bad  neighbor  to  the  surrounding 
English  islands.  Although  he  had  but  three  hun- 
dred or  three  hundred  and  fifty  people  on  St. 
Thomas,  and  most  of  these  British  subjects,  he 
laid  claim  to  all  the  Virgin  Islands,  harbored  run- 
away servants,  seamen  and  debtors,  fitted  out 

85 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

pirate  vessels  with  arms  and  provisions,  and  re- 
fused to  restore  captured  ships  and  crews  which 
the  pirates  brought  into  his  port.  The  King  of 
Denmark  had  sent  out  a  new  governor,  named 
Iversen,  to  dispossess  Esmit,  but  he  did  not  arrive 
in  the  West  Indies  until  October,  1684,  when,  with 
the  assistance  of  an  armed  sloop  which  Sir  William 
Stapleton  had  been  ordered  by  the  English  Council 
to  lend  him,  he  took  possession  of  St.  Thomas  and 
its  pirate  governor." 

But  even  if  St.  Thomas  is  not  celebrated  in  the 
annals  of  the  buccaneers,  the  residents  are  not 
slow  to  put  forward  claims  to  piratical  distinction. 
On  Luchetti's  Hill — which  was  named  after  an 
Italian  consul — is  another  so-called  buccaneers* 
stronghold,  Bluebeard's  Castle.  Again  the  cold 
light  of  historical  research  has  to  dispel  the  haze  of 
romance.  Bluebeard's  Castle  was  built  in  1700 
by  the  local  government  and  served  as  an  addi- 
tional fortification  to  defend  the  town.  It  was 
named  Frederik's  Fort,  and  did  not  pass  out  of 
government  hands  until  it  was  acquired  by  a  Mr. 
Luchetti  in  the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. Local  tradition  states  that  there  is  an 
underground  passage  between  Bluebeard's  and 
86 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

Blackbeard's  castles.  If  so,  the  early  colonists  not 
only  were  expert  miners,  but  must  have  possessed 
boundless  patience,  superfluous  energy  and  a  won- 
derful lack  of  common  sense  to  drill  a  useless  tunnel 
down  a  hill  three  hundred  feet  high,  through  about 
a  mile  of  solid  rock,  and  up  another  hill  two  hun- 
dred feet.  It  would  be  hard  indeed  to  say  what 
purpose  such  a  passage  could  have  served,  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  local  belief  has  no 
foundation  of  fact. 

Christian's  Fort,  built  on  the  waterfront,  was 
used  during  the  latter  days  of  the  Danish  occupa- 
tion as  a  police  station  and  a  jail  for  offenders 
sentenced  to  less  than  two  years'  imprisonment. 
Although  the  fort  was  built  in  1672  by  Governor 
Iversen,  around  the  existing  old  Dutch  fortifica- 
tions, it  looks  today  almost  as  it  looked  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  though  a  clock  tower  has 
been  added  and  the  main  entrance  has  been  some- 
what changed.  It  has,  of  course,  no  military  value, 
and  only  three  small  cannon  defend  its  battlements. 
At  one  time  these  were  used  for  saluting  purposes, 
but  it  was  found  that  their  recoil  damaged  the 
roof  of  the  apartment  underneath,  and  the  prac- 
tice was  discontinued. 

87 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

For  many  years  the  fort  was  the  official  resi- 
dence of  the  governor  and  other  officials.  Here 
the  Lutheran  clergyman  had  his  quarters,  and  the 
church  services  were  held  in  one  of  the  rooms. 
The  pastor,  in  fact,  had  to  obtain  a  military  pass 
from  the  governor  before  he  was  allowed  to  leave 
the  stronghold,  so  strict  were  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury regulations  here. 

The  apartments,  which  are  built  around  an 
attractively-tiled  courtyard,  served  as  offices  and 
cells.  There  is  only  one  dark  cell  found,  and  this 
is  used  solely  to  quiet  obstreperous  prisoners  when 
they  become  violent  and  abusive.  Incarceration 
in  this  cell  soon  calms  them;  the  gloom  appears  to 
depress  the  spirits  of  men  of  a  sunlight-loving  race. 
The  prisoners  are  employed  on  road  work,  but  they 
are  treated  mildly  and  they  have  but  short  working 
hours. 

Until  a  few  years  ago,  one  of  the  rooms  of  the 
fort  also  served  as  a  depository  for  the  currency  of 
the  local  bank,  and  the  archives  of  the  government 
offices  were  also  safeguarded  here. 

The  most  attractive  aspect  of  the  fort  is  from 
the  waterfront.  A  small  balcony  in  one  corner, 
decorated  with  potted  flowers,  offers  a  curious  con- 
88 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

trast  to  a  supposedly  frowning  fortress.  This 
balcony  was  part  of  the  residence  of  the  assistant- 
policemaster.  A  visit  to  the  fort  is  well  worth 
while,  for  it  oflFers  a  great  deal  to  interest  the 
tourist. 

On  the  waterfront,  under  the  fort,  is  a  saluting 
battery  of  twelve  pieces.  From  here  are  returned 
the  salutes  given  to  the  governor  by  visiting  war- 
ships on  entering  the  harbor.  The  time  gun  also 
is  fired  here.  During  the  Danish  rule  this  gun  was 
fired  at  five  in  the  morning,  at  noon,  and  again  at 
eight  in  the  evening.  No  satisfactory  explanation 
for  the  firing  of  the  gun  at  these  hours  has  ever 
been  given.  No  one  thinks  of  getting  up  at  five 
in  the  morning  in  happy-go-lucky  Charlotte- 
Amalia,  and  no  one  thinks  of  going  to  bed  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  pleasure-loving  town.  The 
noon  gun  was  noticeable  only  for  its  inaccuracy, 
its  being  sometimes  five  minutes  fast  and  again 
five  minutes  slow.  With  gunpowder  so  high,  it  is 
hard  to  understand  why  the  formaUty  of  these 
detonations  was  not  dispensed  with. 

There  is  also  on  the  waterfront  a  little  park, 

called  Emancipation  Park.    In  its  center  stands  a 

noble  bust  of  the  beloved  Danish  king.  Christian 

89 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

IX.  Here  the  excellent  little  native  band  plays 
twice  a  week.  Yet  another  small  park  in  the  town 
is  known  by  a  name  more  utilitarian  than  beautiful, 
"Coconut  Square."  This  park  also  is  most  attrac- 
tive with  its  native  shrubs  and  bougainvillea  trees. 

Near  Emancipation  Park  and  Christian's  Fort 
are  the  large  barracks  of  the  gendarmerie,  erected 
in  1829.  These  can  house  two  hundred  or  more 
soldiers,  but  during  the  latter  days  of  the  Danish 
occupation  it  was  necessary  to  keep  only  about 
sixteen  gendarmes  on  the  island. 

There  is  one  theatre,  the  Apollo  Theatre,  in 
Coconut  Square.  This  is  seldom  used,  for  traveling 
theatrical  companies  do  not  find  it  profitable  to 
come  to  St.  Thomas.  Local  entertainments  are 
held  here,  and  it  is  probable  that,  since  so  many 
American  sailors  and  marines  are  to  be  stationed 
on  the  island,  the  building  will  be  used  frequently 
for  motion  pictures. 

As  mentioned,  the  sanitary  conditions  of 
Charlotte-Amalia  as  a  whole  are  extremely  good 
and  there  is  little  disease.  An  excellent  hospital 
was  built  by  the  Danish  Government,  with  all 
up-to-date  appliances.  Nurses  and  physicians  were 
sent  out  from  the  mother  country. 
90 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

The  large  parade  ground,  which  Hes  on  the  east- 
ern hmits  of  the  town,  is  fringed  with  a  wonderful 
array  of  mahogany  trees.  In  former  days,  this  was 
used  for  the  military  parades  of  the  garrison.  To-day 
games  such  as  cricket  and  football  are  played  here. 

It  is  one  of  the  pleasant  customs  of  Charlotte- 
Amalia  to  welcome  its  more  popular  returning  sons 
with  the  strains  of  its  little  band,  which  will  be 
assembled  upon  the  landing-wharf  on  their  arrival; 
and  this  welcome  is  typical  of  the  spirit  of  the  kind- 
ly, hospitable  town.  In  fact,  there  is  no  hospitality 
like  that  found  in  Charlotte-Amalia.  It  is  the  de- 
light of  the  inhabitants  to  welcome  the  stranger 
within  their  gates,  not  only  with  words,  but  also 
with  gifts  of  the  wonderful  flowers  that  are  raised 
on  the  island.  Unpopular  indeed  is  the  lady  visi- 
tor, coming  with  proper  introductions,  who  is  not 
greeted  every  other  morning  or  so  by  a  dusky 
servitor  with  an  enormous  bouquet  of  roses  or 
lilies  such  as  a  New  York  florist  would  envy,  and 
the  message:  "Mrs.  So-and-So's  compliments." 
The  word  "compliments"  is  extensively  used  by 
these  happy  people;  it  designates  greetings,  love 
and  thoughtful  kindness  such  as  is  not  often  found 

elsewhere. 

91 


THE  VIHGIN  ISLANDS 

Travelers  may  speak  as  they  will  of  the  delights 
of  the  floral  tributes  of  Hawaii;  these  cannot  com- 
pare with  the  offerings  made  by  the  St.  Thomians 
to  their  visiting  friends.  The  custom  is  not  re- 
stricted to  the  upper  classes,  for  it  is  no  unusual 
thing  for  the  servants  to  bring  flowers  to  their 
employers.  This  is  not  done  in  any  spirit  of 
sycophancy,  but  only  from  a  warm-hearted  desire 
to  please. 

And  then  the  dinners  and  festivities  provided 
for  the  visitor!  It  is  almost  impossible  to  escape 
from  them,  and  the  more  formal  affairs  make  one 
think  of  the  eighteenth  century  ceremonial  ban- 
quets. Old  wines  are  produced  from  the  cellars, 
toasts  are  drunk,  and  wonderful  food  is  prepared 
for  these  feasts  by  old  negro  cooks  from  whose 
looks  none  would  suspect  an  ability  to  produce 
the  most  Lucullean  dishes  without  the  aid  of  a 
cook  book! 

Happy  indeed  is  life  in  Charlotte-Amalia.  Any 
right-minded  visitor  cannot  but  feel  a  thrill  in 
later  years  when  memories  come  to  him  of  days 
spent  on  *'the  blessed  island." 

Curious  old-time  customs  still  prevail  in  the 
town.    On  Christmas  night  carols  are  sung  in  the 
92 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

streets  and  native  bands  circulate  through  the  town 
with  the  singers.  Most  of  the  singers  in  these 
bands  play  on  the  flute,  the  guitar  or  an  instru- 
ment called  a  "scratchy-scratch/*  This  latter  in- 
strument is  made  from  a  long  calabash  upon  which 
grooves  have  been  cut  which,  when  scraped  with 
a  piece  of  wire,  produce  a  weird  sound  that  does 
not  go  badly  with  the  other  instruments.  The 
voices  of  the  negroes,  while  a  trifle  melancholy, 
are  not  unmusical. 

New  Year's  Day  is  the  great  festival.  Singing 
and  dancing  take  place  in  the  streets,  beginning  as 
early  as  three  in  the  morning.  At  daybreak  the 
performers  join  in  a  body  under  the  balcony  of  the 
governor's  residence  and  the  oflScial  in  charge  is 
supposed  to  appear  and  make  a  speech.  Then 
eatables  and  drinkables  are  distributed  among  the 
merry-makers,  and  a  small  amount  of  money  is 
given  to  each.  Later^in  the  day  the  streets  are 
filled  with  the  so-called  "maskers" — natives  who 
have  dressed  themselves  in  carnival  costumes,  and 
who,  in  small  bands,  visit  their  friends  and  em- 
ployers to  wish  them  the  compliments  of  the 
season  and,  incidentally,  to  receive  some  liquid 

refreshment.     The  performers  are  well-mannered 

93 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

and  not  too  noisy,  and  the  police  do  not  often  find 
it  necessary  to  interfere  with  their  merry-making. 
Although  of  late  years  the  trade  of  St.  Thomas 
has  fallen  off  sadly,  a  number  of  steamship  lines 
still  call  at  the  port  regularly.  The  Quebec  Steam- 
ship Company's  steamers  arrive  bi-monthly  from 
New  York  and  on  their  return  voyage  from  the 
Leeward  Islands  and  the  Guyanas  again  touch 
here.  The  motor-ships  of  the  East-Asiatic  Com- 
pany call  on  their  way  to  Denmark  from  Oriental 
ports  by  way  of  the  Panama  Canal.  The  inter- 
colonial steamer  of  the  Compagnie  Generale  Trans- 
atlantique,  trading  between  Martinique,  Guadeloupe, 
Porto  Rico,  Santo  Domingo  and  Cuba  touches  at 
St.  Thomas  on  both  its  outward  and  homeward- 
bound  voyage.  The  Leyland  Line  ships  put  into 
the  port  every  six  weeks  on  the  way  from  England 
to  Jamaica.  The  Bull-Insular  Line  comes  here 
every  two  weeks  with  a  small  steamer  to  obtain 
freight  for  its  large  cargo-vessels  plying  between 
Porto  Rico  and  New  York  and  to  bring  passengers 
to  St.  Thomas  and  receive  passengers  for  Porto 
Rico.  In  addition  to  these,  many  cargo-ships  call 
in  order  to  obtain  coal  for  their  bunkers.  A  small 
motor-vessel  also  makes  weekly  trips  to  Fajardo 
94 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

from  Porto  Rico  and  carries  the  mail  in  both 
directions. 

Before  the  outbreak  of  the  European  War  a 
far  larger  number  of  steamship  companies  made 
St.  Thomas  a  regular  port  of  call.  The  Hamburg- 
American  Line,  which  established  its  chief  depot 
in  the  Antilles  on  St.  Thomas,  had  as  many 
as  fifteen  steamers  per  month  during  the  first  six 
months  of  1914.  Accurate  figures  are  not  available 
as  to  the  number  or  tonnage  of  vessels  now  calling 
at  the  port,  but,  in  order  to  obtain  an  idea  of  the 
facilities  offered  by  this  excellent  harbor,  it  may 
be  stated  that  in  1913  two  hundred  vessels  called 
here,  while  during  the  first  half  of  1914  this  num- 
ber was  materially  increased.  Since  the  outbreak 
of  the  European  War,  a  large  percentage  of  the 
St.  Thomians  have  been  thrown  out  of  work  and 
have  been  forced  to  leave  the  island  because  of 
the  decrease  in  the  number  of  arriving  steamers. 

There  are  six  docks  on  the  waterfront  from 
which  coal  can  be  supplied  to  ships,  or  where  cargo 
can  be  discharged  or  taken  on  board.  Vessels 
drawing  up  to  thirty-one  feet  of  water  can  moor 
alongside  these  docks.  In  addition  to  these  facili- 
ties an  anchorage  for  an  incredibly  large  number 

95 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  ships  can  be  found  in  the  harbor  itself,  and  these 
can  be  discharged  by  means  of  lighters  owned  by 
private  companies  and  steamship  agents.  In  1867 
a  floating  dry-dock  was  launched.  This  had  a 
lifting  capacity  of  three  thousand  tons.  It  failed 
to  work,  and  was  not  repaired  and  put  into  active 
operation  until  1875.  Since  then  it  has  lifted  over 
eleven  hundred  large  ships.  This  dock  is  generally 
used  by  the  smaller  steamers  which  ply  around 
the  islands  of  Santo  Domingo  and  Porto  Rico,  and 
those  in  inter-insular  service  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  Leeward  Islands.  The  only  other  docks  in 
the  West  Indies  are  at  Trinidad,  Havana  and 
Jamaica.  For  this  reason,  St.  Thomas  can  depend 
upon  a  steady  amount  of  work  of  this  character. 

Various  shipyards  offer  facilities  for  the  dock- 
ing of  small  sailing  vessels  and  the  repairing  of  the 
machinery  of  steamers. 

A  cable  comes  to  St.  Thomas  from  Jamaica  and 
Panama  and  connects  this  island  with  the  Leeward 
Islands,  so  that  there  is  telegraphic  communica- 
tion with  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  two  excellent 
little  newspapers  pubhshed  in  the  island,  one  a 
daily  paper,  the  other  and  larger  one  a  bi-weekly, 
obtain  their  foreign  news  from  the  bulletins  pro- 
96 


RAMBLES  ABOUT  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 

vided  by  this  cable  company.  Another  cable 
connects  St.  Thomas  with  the  island  of  St.  Croix. 
This  cable  was  laid  by  the  Danish  Government  and 
was  used  principally  for  government  business. 
There  is  no  telegraphic  communication  between 
St.  Thomas  and  St.  John. 

St.  Thomas  does  a  fair  amount  of  inter-colonial 
trade,  and,  since  its  acquisition  by  the  United 
States  the  local  merchants  look  for  a  substantial 
increase  in  their  business.  In  the  year  preceding 
the  sale  of  the  islands,  more  of  this  island's  foreign 
trade  of  St.  Thomas  went  to  the  United  States 
than  to  any  other  country.  During  the  fiscal  year 
ending  March  31,  1916,  the  total  trade  amounted 
to  $734,680.  In  this  amount  the  United  States 
shared  to  the  extent  of  $332,286.  Imports  at  St. 
Thomas  constitute  about  seventy  per  cent,  of  the 
total  imports  for  all  three  islands. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

TO  "MA  FOLIE"  ON  PONYBACK— FINDING  HIDDEN  TREAS- 
URES ON  THE  SHORES  OF  MAGENS  BAY  — WHAT  THE 
KITCHEN-MIDDENS  REVEALED— AN  ABANDONED  SUGAR 
ESTATE  AND  A  RUINED  MISSION  STATION— A  HUNTERS' 
PARADISE— MORE  ABANDONED  ESTATES  AND  A  HAUNTED 
RUIN— CURIOUS  CEMETERY  ORNAMENTS— THE  "GRAVE- 
YARD OF  SHIPS"  AND  A  GHOSTLY  ARRAY  OF  FIGURE- 
HEADS—ESCAPING SLAVES  AND  PICTURESQUE  "CHA-CHAS" 

TO  learn  thoroughly  the  island  of  St. 
Thomas  one  must  either  be  a  good 
pedestrian  or  obtain  a  sure-footed  pony. 
There  are  practically  no  carriage  roads.  The  only 
roads  which  allow  a  fairly  long  drive  lead  from 
Charlotte-Amalia  to  Brewer's  Bay,  about  three 
miles  west  of  the  town,  or  from  Charlotte-Amalia 
to  Water  Bay,  about  five  miles  east.  This  latter 
road,  however,  is  none  too  good,  and  it  has  some 
stiff  hills  which  make  a  strong  horse  a  necessity. 
But  what  St.  Thomas  lacks  in  carriage  roads  it 
makes  up  in  attractive  mountain  trails  and  bridle 
paths. 

Perhaps  the  first  excursion  which  a  visitor  with 
plenty  of  time  at  his  disposal  should  take  is  to  Ma 
Folic,  an  estate  lying  upon  one  of  the  crests  of  the 
98 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

main  mountain  range  of  the  island,  on  which  can 
be  seen  the  stone  obeHsk  erected  by  the  BraziUan 
astronomers  when  they  estabHshed  a  station  to 
observe  the  transit  of  Venus  in  1882.  The  owner 
of  this  estate  seems  to  have  been  aware  of  the 
futility  of  going  in  for  agriculture  on  the  precipi- 
tous slopes  of  his  land,  and  named  it  "My  Folly" 
in  consequence. 

The  road  leading  to  Ma  Folic  makes  a  stiflf 
ascent  from  the  town,  but  the  view  from  the  sum- 
mit well  pays  for  all  the  labor  involved.  It  is 
always  possible  on  St.  Thomas  to  obtain  hardy 
little  ponies  suitable  for  and  accustomed  to  the 
mountain  trails,  and  they  can  be  hired  at  small 
cost.  It  is  well,  though,  to  try  out  a  hired  animal 
on  a  level  stretch  before  using  him  on  a  steep  path. 

The  summit  of  Ma  Folic  once  reached,  there 
is  spread  out  what  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  views  in  the  Antilles.  Directly  below, 
one  sees  the  town  of  Charlotte-Amalia  and  the 
harbor  of  St.  Thomas  with  its  variety  of  ships  of 
all  nationalities.  In  the  far  distance  Buck  Island 
and  Frenchman's  Cap  can  be  seen,  and  on  clear 
days  the  mountains  of  the  island  of  St.  Croix.  To 
the  west,  Culebra  and  Vieques  seem  to  beckon  the 

99 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

visitor  toward  the  misty  elevation  of  the  mainland 
of  Porto  Rico.  To  the  north,  the  seas  seem  studded 
with  little  islands.  Hans  Lollik,  Little  Hans  Lollik, 
Outer  Brass,  Inner  Brass,  and  the  Cockroach  and 
Cricket  resemble  nothing  so  much  as  emeralds  in 
an  azure  setting.  To  the  east  an  even  larger  num- 
ber of  cays  and  islands  are  visible,  and  even  Virgin 
Gorda  of  the  British  Virgin  Islands  looms  up, 
while  Sage  Mountian  on  Tortola  is  a  prominent 
feature.  The  bays  and  inlets  on  St.  Thomas  itself 
astound  with  their  beauty^  the  visitor  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  blues  of  West  Indian  seas  and  the 
cream-colored  sands  of  the  shores. 

A  road  leads  both  east  and  west  from  Ma 
Folic.  Following  this  road  to  the  eastward  the 
tourist  comes  to  the  Louisenhoh  estate  and  to  a 
road  named  the  King  Road  which  leads,  by  way 
of  the  Canaan  estate,  to  the  wonderful  Magens 
Bay.  Of  all  the  scenic  splendors  on  the  island,  this 
bay  stands  alone.  Its  waters  run  through  all  shades 
and  variations,  from  a  delicate  green  to  a  sapphire 
blue,  and  its  fringe  of  white  beach  forms  a  vivid 
contrast  to  the  brown  and  gray  of  the  rocks  on  the 
peninsula    of    Picara    which    forms    its    eastern 

boundary. 
100 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

It  was  on  the  shores  of  this  bay  that  the  expe- 
dition sent  out  by  the  Museum  of  the  American 
Indian,  Heye  Foimdation,  of  New  York  City,  was 
successful  in  locating  the  remains  of  the  village 
site  of  the  aboriginal  tribe  that  lived  on  the 
island  previous  to  the  coming  of  the  Spanish 
discoverers. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Magens  Bay  was 
an  ideal  location  for  the  Indian  village.  In  the 
first  place  the  bay  is  well  sheltered,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  northerly  storms,  and  its  sloping,  sandy 
beach  made  the  hauling  up  of  canoes  an  easy 
matter.  Then  the  presence  of  the  giant  Ceiba 
(cottonwood)  trees  on  the  hill  slopes  near  by 
assured  the  Indians  of  an  unfailing  supply  of 
material  for  their  dug-out  canoes. 

The  waters  of  Magens  Bay  abound  not  only 
with  shell  food  but  with  fish  of  all  kinds.  Birds 
and  bird-eggs  and  the  now  extinct  Isolobodon  por- 
toricensis  (a  mammal  about  the  size  of  a  rabbit) 
helped  to  supply  the  Indian's  wants  for  animal 
food.  And  the  hills  and  valleys  to  the  back  of 
Magens  Bay  undoubtedly  served  admirably  for  the 
cultivation  of  cassava,  yucca  and  the  hundred  and 
one  fruits  that  make  life  dehghtful  in  the  West 

101    . 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Indies.  Pools  and  springs  furnished  the  Indian 
household  with  the  required  water. 

To  fix  the  actual  location  of  the  Magens  Bay 
village  site  was  a  difficult  matter,  for  the  dense 
brush  with  which  the  shores  of  the  bay  was  cov- 
ered made  the  search  for  low  mounds  almost 
impossible.  Minute  pottery  fragments  were  widely 
scattered,  but,  as  the  water  courses  which  exist 
in  the  Magens  Bay  valley  during  the  rainy  season 
undoubtedly  were  responsible  for  the  distribution 
of  these  fragments,  they  did  not  serve  as  a  guide 
to  the  spot  where  excavations  were  to  begin. 

At  last  an  uprooted  tree  solved  the  problem. 
An  examination  of  the  cavity  left  by  the  roots  of 
a  large  "turpentine  tree"  which  had  been  over- 
turned by  the  recent  hurricane,  brought  to  light 
many  shells  and  several  large  postsherds.  Then 
the  realization  came  that,  since  the  days  of  the 
aborigines,  the  entire  Magens  Bay  valley  had  been 
covered  by  a  two  foot  deposit  of  diluvium,  and 
that  in  consequence  it  was  of  no  use  to  look  for 
hummocks  or  mounds  of  pre-historic  origin  on  the 
surface  of  a  valley  covered  and  made  almost  level 
by  the  decomposed  humus. 

Owing  to  the  dense  undergrowth,  it  was  found 
102 


s: 

o 

c 

H 
>■ 


> 

H 

K 

r 

> 

S 
0 

H 

O 

o 

r 

H 


05 

h3 


S 

c 


< 

H 

.  o 

03  t3 

3 

o  ^ 

H  i 

C5  ^ 

O  i- 


•<  s 

fe  .9 

^  s 

>  D- 

O  ^ 

O  '^ 


-S-^-jUliai. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

necessary  to  employ  a  gang  of  men  to  chop  down 
the  brushwood  and  smaller  trees  and  then  to  burn 
them.  When  the  ground  was  cleared,  it  became 
possible  to  observe  the  presence  of  a  ten  foot  high 
mound  which  merged  with  the  slope  of  a  small 
hill  against  which  it  lay. 

Excavations  were  started  in  this  mound  by  a 
considerable  number  of  workmen  and  a  trench  was 
commenced  which  had  a  semi-circular  shape,  a 
width  of  about  seventy-five  feet  and  a  breadth  of 
perhaps  thirty  feet.  The  eastern  slope  of  this 
mound  was  limited  by  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  the 
western  slope  was  terminated  by  a  little  path 
which  ran  through  the  undergrowth.  The  mound, 
as  has  been  stated,  was  almost  indiscernible;  it 
was  impossible  to  make  out  where  the  mound 
stopped  and  the  hill  slope  began  until  after  the 
excavations  had  been  made.  In  fact,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  fallen  tree,  it  might  have  been  a  long 
time  before  the  expedition  would  have  started 
excavations  in  this  particular  spot,  because  the 
appearance  of  the  ground  made  one  think  more  of 
a  hill  slope  than  of  a  pre-Columbian  deposit. 

The  process  of  digging  for  prehistoric  treasures 
of  Indian  pottery  is  interesting.     First  a  trench 

103 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

some  thirty  feet  wide  was  made  in  an  easterly 
direction,  toward  the  slope  of  the  hill.  Then  a 
hole  some  six  feet  wide  was  dug  over  the  entire 
length  of  the  trench — in  this  instance  thirty  feet — 
and  from  this  an  excavation  was  made  down  to 
the  original  bottom  which  existed  before  the  form- 
ing of  the  Indian  mound.  While  making  such  a 
hole,  it  is  difficult  to  prevent  breakage  of  the 
artifacts  that  may  be  found,  as  work  with  a  pick 
and  shovel  in  a  perpendicular  direction  is  not  con- 
ducive to  the  preservation  of  specimens  of  a  friable 
nature.  Once  the  hole  is  made,  however,  the  work- 
men are  able  to  proceed  in  a  straight  direction  by 
undermining  the  wall  of  the  trench  in  the  lowest 
part  of  the  excavation.  It  will  then  be  found  that 
the  earth,  shells  and  ashes  will  fall  down  by  their 
own  weight  and  it  becomes  an  easy  matter  to  pick 
the  Indian  specimens  from  the  debris.  The  bottom 
of  the  excavation  is  always  kept  as  clean  as  pos- 
sible so  that  smaller  artifacts,  such  as  stone  beads 
and  amulets,  can  be  the  more  easily  discovered. 

The  formation  of  an  Indian  kitchen-midden, 
or  refuse  heap,  is  a  curious  process.  In  the  Magens 
Bay  middens,  beginning  on  the  surface,  one  finds 

a  deposit,  about  two  feet  thick,  of  diluvium.    This 
104 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

deposit  is  somewhat  lighter  in  color  than  those 
immediately  below.  The  diluvium  or  humus  was 
formed  in  the  course  of  centuries,  after  the  Indians 
had  abandoned  the  site,  by  a  decomposition  of 
the  leaves,  branches,  roots,  et  cetera,  that  fell  upon 
the  surface  of  the  mound.  The  grasses  growing 
upon  the  surface  formed  a  kind  of  sod,  and,  what 
with  this  and  the  intertwining  of  the  roots  of  the 
trees  and  bushes,  the  first  layer  was  quite  tough, 
and  hard  enough  to  dig  in.  Under  the  first  layer 
came  two  others,  both  of  these  being  about  three 
feet  thick. 

These  latter  layers  were  constituted  of  a  mix- 
ture of  humus,  ashes,  charcoal,  artifacts,  shells  and 
the  bones  of  such  animals  as  were  eaten  by  the 
Indians.  Occasionally  a  burial  was  found  in  the 
lower  of  the  two  layers,  but  fully  eighty  per 
cent,  of  the  burials  were  found  in  the  sea  sand  di- 
rectly under  the  two  layers  caused  by  the  Indian 
occupation. 

While  the  majority  of  the  artifacts  found  in  the 
two  layers  directly  under  the  diluvial  deposit  were 
the  fragments  of  broken  vessels,  there  were  some- 
times entire  vessels.  In  the  majority  of  cases 
these  vessels  accompanied  burials,  and,  in  conse- 

105 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

quence,  had  been  buried  entire.  Probably  they 
were  filled  with  food  stuffs  which  were  to  serve 
the  departed  for  his  journey  to  the  Great  Beyond. 
But  sometimes  a  vessel  would  turn  up  in  the 
Magens  Bay  deposits  which  was  not  accompanied 
by  a  burial.  Probably  this  had  been  discarded 
by  its  Indian  owner,  owing  to  a  flaw  in  the  ware, 
or  else  had  been  buried  accidentally  under  a  mound 
of  shells. 

The  Indians  probably  deposited  their  dead  in 
the  original  surface  oi  sea  sand  some  seven  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  mound.  The  practise 
of  burials  in  the  floors  of  dwellings  was  not  uncom- 
mon on  many  of  the  West  Indian  islands,  as  has 
been  proven  by  the  researches  of  other  investi- 
gators. Of  the  nine  burials  that  were  found  on 
the  Magens  Bay  site,  seven  were  of  adults  and 
two  of  children.  Six  of  the  burials  were  accom- 
panied by  mortuary  vessels,  but  outside  of  these 
vessels  no  other  objects  were  found  with  the  dead. 
The  vessels  were  of  the  plainest  construction, 
without  decoration,  and  so  were  in  great  contrast 
to  the  elaborately  decorated  vessels  that  are  found 
on  the  islands  to  the  westward,  Porto  Rico  and 
Santo  Domingo.  Judging  from  these  and  from 
106 


CROSS-SECTION   OF  ABORIGINAL   MOUND,    MAG  ENS 
BAY,    ST.    THOMAS 


KING    ROAD,    NEAR    MAGENS    BAY,    ST.    THOMAS 


CLEARING    LAND    BY    FIRE,    MAGENS    BAY,    ST.    THOMAS 


LABORERS   EXCAVATING   IN    PRE-HISTORIC   DEPOSITS,    MAGENS   BAY,    ST.    THOMAS 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

other  objects  found  in  the  deposits,  the  aborigines 
of  St.  Thomas  were  decidedly  not  of  Arawak 
stock. 

The  only  other  aboriginal  deposit  found  on 
St.  Thomas  was  an  extensive  shell-heap  on  Krum 
Bay,  on  the  south  coast  of  the  island.  No  Indian 
specimens  were  found  in  this,  and  the  only  plaus- 
ible theory  to  account  for  the  presence  of  these 
shells  is  that  the  Indians  went  from  the  north 
coast  over  the  mountain  ridge  to  Krum  Bay  to 
fish  for  these  shells,  opened  them  on  the  spot,  and 
then  carried  the  mollusks  to  their  homes  at  Magens 
Bay.  An  extensive  and  thorough  survey  of  the 
bays  of  the  island  convinced  the  expedition  that 
no  other  village  site  could  be  found  on  St.  Thomas. 

An  exploration  of  the  valley  of  Magens  Bay 
will  reveal  the  ruins  of  the  buildings  of  a  forgotten 
plantation,  "Eenigheit,"  which  was  erected  by  the 
earliest  Dutch  settlers.  These  remains  are  known 
to  but  few  present-day  inhabitants  of  the  island, 
and  one  has  considerable  difliculty  in  locating  them. 
They  lie  about  half  a  mile  inland.  Near  the  shore 
is  some  other  masonry,  as  well  as  an  old  cannon 
or  two.  Evidently  the  canny  Dutch  settlers  did 
not  seem   inclined   to  live  here   without  taking 

107 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

necessary  precaution  against  the  raids  of  sea  rovers 
and  assaults  from  other  enemies. 

Another  most  attractive  road,  to  the  eastward 
of  Charlotte-Amalia,  leads  by  the  extensive  ruins 
of  what  once  was  one  of  the  largest  sugar  estates 
of  the  island.  What  is  now  used  as  pasture  land 
for  the  herds  that  provide  the  town  with  its  daily 
supply  of  fresh  milk  was  at  one  time  a  waving 
field  of  sugar-cane.  Here  is  practically  the  only 
level  area  of  any  extent  that  can  be  found  on 
St.  Thomas.  The  remains  of  an  abandoned  wind- 
mill speak  of  the  days  when  the  sugar-cane  was 
ground  by  the  rollers  of  a  mill  operated  by  the 
sea  breezes  or  by  the  mules  which  walked  in  an 
unceasing  circle.  The  juice  from  the  cane  ran 
into  open  kettles  under  which  were  enormous  fires, 
and  the  heat  brought  about  the  evaporation  of 
the  sugar.  From  a  modern  point  of  view  this 
method  would  be  considered  wasteful  and  expen- 
sive, but  that  it  was  profitable  in  the  eighteenth 
century  is  proven  by  the  ruins  of  the  hand- 
some residence  which  the  planters  were  able  to 
erect. 

Continuing  along  this  road,  one  comes  to  the 
Moravian  missionary  station  of  New  Hernhut, 
108 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

erected  in  1737.  The  history  of  the  estate  and 
of  the  Moravian  Brethren  on  the  island  is  inter- 
esting. The  first  missionaries  sent  out  were 
received  on  sufferance  by  the  planters,  who  were 
violently  opposed  to  the  Brethren's  efforts  to 
improve  the  condition  of  their  slaves. 

A  tree  is  still  shown  on  St.  Thomas  under 
which  the  Moravian  services  were  held  for  a  long 
time,  as  the  missionaries  were  too  poor  to  erect  a 
building  and  no  one  on  the  island  was  kindly 
enough  disposed  toward  their  efforts  to  lend  them 
one.  Finally,  in  1737,  a  benevolent  planter 
assisted  them  in  purchasing  a  small  estate,  which 
was  named  New  Hernhut,  after  the  Hernhut 
Seminary  whence  the  Brethren  came. 

Opposition  to  the  Moravians  grew,  and  the 
planters  finally  forbade  their  slaves  to  attend  their 
services,  fearing  that  the  kindly  treatment  accorded 
the  unfortunate  Africans  might  make  them  dis- 
contented with  their  lot  and  lead  to  future  revolts. 
In  spite  of  this  opposition  and  many  other  trials, 
the  mission  of  New  Hernhut  prospered  and  to-day 
the  Moravians  are  a  power  for  good  on  the  island. 
One  cannot  but  have  great  admiration  for  these 

people,  not  only  because  they  are  earnest  teachers 

109 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  religion,  but  because  they  teach  the  natives  the 
use  of  tools. 

The  missionaries  have  always  personally 
assisted  in  the  erection  of  their  buildings  and 
are  as  adept  in  the  handling  of  tools  as  they  are 
in  expounding  a  theological  doctrine.  They  owned 
slaves  for  many  years,  but  they  liberated  those 
they  held  in  1844,  four  years  before  emancipation 
became  a  fact  by  royal  decree. 

The  New  Hernhut  station  was  severely  dam- 
V  aged  by  the  hurricane  of  1867  and  was  allowed  to 
fall  into  ruins.  Since  then  the  missionary  in 
charge  has  contented  himself  with  humbler  quar- 
ters on  the  estate.  There  is  a  fairly  large  church, 
as  well  as  a  school  which  is  well  patronized  by  the 
natives  who  live  in  the  neighborhood.  Of  the  old 
buildings,  the  ruins  of  the  large  kitchen  are 
especially  noticeable. 

After  passing  New  Hernhut,  the  road  leads  by 
the  old  Tutu  Estate,  another  landmark  of  the 
days  when  St.  Thomas  derived  as  great  wealth 
from  its  agriculture  and  its  slaves  as  from  the 
commerce  that  came  to  its  harbor.  The  Tutu 
Estate  is  situated  on  what  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
healthiest  spots  on  the  island,  and  it  is  a  favorite 
110 


RUINS    OF    STAIRWAY,    NEW    HERNHUT    MORAVIAN 
MISSION    STATION,    ST.    THOMAS 


RUINS   OF   OLD    MORAVIAN    MISSION    STATION,    NEW    HERNHUT,    ST.    THOMAS 


RUINS    OF    MANDAL    ESTATE,    ST.    THOMAS 


^-^^>:-- 


'■•-"  *^ , 


*"-- 


-■v. , : 


j:^''^S»  w  ■*.  *e  :--.:■ -^ '•*:  •ir^!{:y3.^ 


-<»0>««f5»v 


:ir-M-A^ 


SK(.,liU    FISHING    WITH    CASTING    NET,    ST.    TJIUMAS 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

recuperating  resort  for  those  worn  out  by  the 
summer  heat  in  town. 

The  road  finally  leads  to  Water  Bay,  on  the 
east  coast  of  the  island,  where  is  a  small  settle- 
ment of  fishermen  who  live  in  somewhat  precarious 
poverty.  These  natives  pursue  their  calling  in  the 
waters  between  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John  and  sell 
their  catch  in  the  market  of  Charlotte-Amalia. 

Water  Bay,  like  all  bays  of  these  regions, 
abounds  with  pelicans,  and  it  is  interesting  to 
watch  the  graceful  dives  of  these  seemingly  clumsy 
birds,  made  in  order  to  obtain  their  quota  of  food. 
Their  method  of  fishing  differs  from  that  frequently 
employed  by  the  local  fishermen,  who  have  be- 
come expert  in  the  use  of  a  peculiar  type  of  casting 
net,  shaped  like  a  parachute,  the  outside  edge 
weighted  with  leaden  balls.  The  fisherman  wades 
into  the  water  and  detects  a  school  of  small  fish. 
With  an  indescribably  quick  motion  he  then  throws 
the  net — which  has  been  carefully  folded  into 
small  compass — in  such  a  manner  that  it  opens 
out  and  drops  on  the  school  of  fish.  The  fish,  becom- 
ing entangled  in  the  meshes,  are  the  fisherman's 
property. 

In  this  region  and  in  the  Red  Hook  district  the 

111 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

followers  of  Nimrod  and  Isaac  Walton  can  find 
ample  opportunity  to  satisfy  their  desire  for  sport. 
European  fallow-deer  were  imported  by  some  of 
the  early  European  settlers  and  can  still  be  found 
and  hunted,  although  there  are  so  few  left  and 
they  have  become  so  wild  that  hunting  them 
becomes  an  arduous  sport  indeed.  At  certain 
times  of  the  year  pigeons  abound  and  make  excel- 
lent shooting,  especially  at  dusk  when  they  fly 
from  the  woods,  where  they  have  been  gathering 
berries,  to  their  nests  in  the  mangrove  trees. 
Ducks  are  also  found  on  some  of  the  small  ponds 
and  lagoons.  At  any  time  of  the  year  one  can 
hunt  a  large  variety  of  the  delicious  wood-dove, 
which  is  found  in  considerable  numbers. 

Because  of  the  importation  of  the  East  Indian 
mongoose  other  birds  have  become  scarce.  This 
supposedly  useful  animal,  after  finding  that  the 
rats  he  was  to  destroy  did  not  offer  as  easy  a  prey 
as  the  young  birds  and  that  the  birds'  eggs  were 
quite  to  his  liking,  turned  his  attention  to  these. 
Soon  he  was  successful  in  annihilating  the  greater 
part  of  the  bird  life  of  the  island. 

One  occasionally  sees  the  agouti  (Dasyproda 
agouti)  on  the  island.    A  few  of  these  small  Brazil- 
112 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

ian  mammals,  which  resemble  an  overgrown  guinea 
pig,  must,  at  some  forgotten  time,  have  been  set 
loose  on  the  island  by  a  practical  joker.  They 
have  multiplied  wonderfully. 

To  the  south  of  Water  Bay  the  entire  east 
coast  of  St.  Thomas  is  barren  and  dry.  But  little 
water  is  found  here,  and  the  vegetation  resembles 
that  of  an  arid  tropical  region.  Those  of  the 
people  who  keep  cattle  or  horses  are  obliged  to  go 
elsewhere  for  fodder.  It  is  their  usual  practice  to 
procure  grass  for  their  animals  on  Thatch  Cay, 
bringing  this  home  in  their  canoes. 

There  are  in  circulation  many  stories  regarding 
the  presence  of  piratical  treasure  on  Thatch  Cay, 
and  every  once  in  awhile  some  enthusiastic  St. 
Thomians  will  repair  here  and  spend  time  in 
arduous  excavations  of  parts  of  the  cay.  Up  to 
date,  however,  these  efforts  have  not  been  crowned 
with  success,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  treasure  will  forever  remain  lost  to  posterity. 

Another  charming  excursion  that  can  be  taken 
to  the  east  of  Charlotte-Amalia  is  a  trip  to  the 
old  Windberg  Estate,  with  a  further  trip  to  the 
summit  of  Windberg  itself.  Windberg  was  well 
named  "Windy  HilF'  by  the  first  planter  who 
8  113 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

owned  land  here,  as  even  on  the  most  sultry  days 
there  is  upon  its  crest  a  constant  chilly  breeze 
But  little  remains  of  the  old  building,  which  was 
one  of  the  first  and  most  important  plantation 
houses  on  the  island.  The  walls  and  upper  stories 
of  the  "Great  House,"  as  the  owner's  residence 
was  always  called  in  slave  times,  have  been  blown 
down  by  the  successive  hurricanes  since  the  estate 
was  left  uncultivated  after  the  abolition  of  slavery. 
But  a  tesselated  floor  of  imported  marble  speaks 
volumes  for  the  ease  and  luxury  in  which  the 
old-time  settlers  lived,  and  the  ruins  of  an  enormous 
bake  oven  alongside  the  kitchen  tell  of  the  hos- 
pitality for  which  St.  Thomas  was  famous. 

After  examining  the  remains  of  the  house,  the 
traveler  does  well  to  make  the  precipitous  ascent 
of  the  hill  itself.  Elevated  perhaps  twelve  hun- 
dred feet  above  sea  level,  its  crest  offers  a  view  to 
the  eastward  over  St.  John  and  the  British  Virgin 
Islands  that  rivals  in  beauty  the  seascape  observed 
from  Ma  Folic.  And  even  if  the  little  trail  is  hard 
to  ascend,  and  one  lives  in  fear  that  one's  pony 
may  slip  while  clambering  upward,  every  visitor 
to  the  island  should  make  the  climb;  it  will  prove 

a  never-to-be-forgotten  experience. 
114 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

After  visiting  Windberg,  instead  of  returning 
by  the  same  road,  it  is  possible  to  take  a  road  to 
the  north  coast  and  to  return  by  the  King  Road  to 
Magens  Bay.  This  route  leads  past  the  Mandal 
Estate,  where  the  unusually  large  ruins  of  an 
ancient  sugar  factory  again  speak  of  the  former 
agricultural  resources  of  St.  Thomas.  It  is  popu- 
larly believed  by  the  natives  that  these  ruins  were 
at  one  time  inhabited  by  an  unfortunate  sufferer 
from  that  dread  tropical  disease,  leprosy,  and  that 
he  died  here  in  solitude  and  still  haunts  the  spot. 
One  cannot  hire  a  St.  Thomian  of  the  lower  classes 
to  pass  this  road  after  nightfall,  and  even  in  the 
light  of  day  those  who  are  really  superstitious 
unconsciously  hasten  their  footsteps  and  show  a 
desire  to  pass  this  spot  as  quickly  as  possible. 

In  this  district  the  hill  slopes  are  covered  with 
large  forests  of  turpentine  trees,  perhaps  the  least 
attractive  of  West  Indian  trees,  and  certainly  the 
most  worthless  of  the  flora  of  the  Antilles.  They 
have  gawky,  brown  limbs  and  trunk,  and  one 
wonders  to  what  use  they  can  be  put,  or  why  an 
attractive  landscape  should  be  spoiled  by  their 
presence.  The  wood  contains  too  much  resin  to 
make  the  tree  of  use  for  lumber,  and  yet  the 

115 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

quantity  is  not  enough  to  make  the  extraction  of 
turpentine  profitable.  Furthermore,  wherever  for- 
ests of  these  trees  are  found,  other  vegetation  seems 
to  languish.  The  presence  of  these  trees  is  there- 
fore rather  undesirable  and  a  detriment  to  an 
estate. 

Before  reaching  the  road  leading  down  to 
Magens  Bay,  the  visitor  passes  an  estate  named 
Lovenlund,  which  is  now  used  for  the  raising  of 
cattle. 

In  addition  to  the  routes  named,  a  multitude 
of  small  trails  over  the  hills  offer  interesting 
excursions  to  the  visitor  to  the  eastern  part  of  the 
island.  Each  trip  he  takes  makes  him  eager  for 
the  pleasures  that  can  be  found  in  further  explora- 
tions of  the  bypaths  with  a  good  horse. 

The  excursions  to  be  made  west  on  St.  Thomas 
are  also  of  great  interest.  On  leaving  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town,  the  traveler  first  passes  the 
three  different  cemeteries  that  are  kept  in  order 
by  various  congregations.  Perhaps  one  of  the  most 
curious  customs  of  the  island  is  the  manner  in 
which  the  graves  are  ornamented.  No  rocks  are 
found  locally  that  are  sufficiently  hard  and  durable 
to  serve  as  tombstones,  so  a  St.  Thomian  makes 
116 


A      GUT      AND    STREET    MADE    LIKE    A    STAIRWAY 
CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


NATXVE    GRAVE    ORNAMENTED    WITH    CONCH  SHELLS,    ST.    THOMAS 


FIGURE-HEADS  OF  OLD   SAILING   VESSELS  IN   KRUM   BAY   SHIPYARD,    ST.   THOMAS 


KRUM   BAT   WITH   SHIPYARD   AND   COCONUT   TREES   DESTROYED   BY  HURRICANE 

ST.    THOMAS 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

use  of  conch  shells  to  ornament  the  graves  of  his 
dear  ones.  These  shells,  the  mouths  of  which  are 
a  vivid  pink,  are  set  in  the  concrete  edge  surround- 
ing the  grave  and  they  form  a  decoration  that  is 
attractive  even  it  if  is  somewhat  unusual.  On 
some  West  Indian  islands  a  cemetery  is  synonymous 
with  a  thicket  which  has  the  appearance  of  an 
abandoned  jungle,  but  on  St.  Thomas  the  ceme- 
teries indicate  loving  care.  Even  upon  the  most 
humble  grave  may  be  seen  a  small  bunch  of  flowers, 
sometimes  placed  in  a  broken  bottle.  These 
flowers  show  as  much  thought  as  the  most  elabo- 
rate floral  tribute  on  the  graves  of  those  whose 
famihes  are  endowed  with  more  worldly  goods. 

After  passing  these  burying  grounds,  the  road 
branches  to  the  north  and  to  the  south,  and  the 
southern  and  more  level  road  leads  by  another 
Moravian  missionary  station  named  Niesky.  This 
is  of  somewhat  later  date  than  the  New  Hernhut 
station,  but  is  in  far  better  preservation  and  to-day 
is  of  more  importance.  Here  is  a  very  pretty  httle 
church  and  an  imposing  three-storied  residence  for 
the  missionary  in  charge.  There  is  also  a  school 
of  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils  under  direct 
supervision  of  the  missionary. 

117 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

The  next  point  of  interest  on  this  road  is  Knim 
Bay,  where  is  the  important  supply  station  of  the 
West  India  and  Panama  Telegraph  Company. 
This  station  was  practically  totally  destroyed  by 
the  recent  hurricane.  Several  of  the  smaller  build- 
ings were  completely  turned  over  and  storehouses 
with  their  valuable  contents  were  greatly  damaged. 
A  plantation  of  coconut  trees  suffered  a  like  fate, 
the  tops  of  the  trees  being  damaged  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  will  never  again  bear  fruit. 

The  tanks  in  which  the  submarine  cables  are 
kept  in  sea  water,  to  prevent  deterioration  of  their 
rubber  coverings,  are  an  interesting  sight.  It  is 
a  strange  fact  that  rubber,  which  finds  its  origin 
in  tropical  countries,  does  not  withstand  the  cli- 
matic conditions  of  the  tropics  once  it  has  been 
prepared.  In  consequence,  cable  companies  in 
these  regions  are  forced  to  keep  their  spare  cables 
constantly  submerged. 

Directly  across  from  the  station  of  the  telegraph 
company  is  the  wrecking-yard  which  has  made 
Krum  Bay  famous  to  dozens  of  marine  insur- 
ance companies,  and  is  of  prime  interest  to 
all  visitors  to  the  island.  For  years,  whenever  a 
ship  was  forced  to  put  into  St.  Thomas  harbor  in 
118 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

distress,  in  a  dismasted  or  leaking  condition,  it 
was  necessary  for  the  agent  of  the  underwriters  to 
decide  whether  the  vessel  was  worth  repairing  by 
the  insurance  companies,  or  if  it  should  be  written 
off  their  books  as  a  total  loss.  It  is  whispered 
that  on  most  occasions  the  inspectors  found  it 
necessary  to  condemn  a  disabled  vessel.  The  ves- 
sel then  was  put  up  at  public  auction  and  sold  for 
a  mere  song.  The  next  procedure  was  to  take  the 
ship  to  Krum  Bay,  where  it  was  stripped  of  its 
valuable  parts,  such  as  rigging,  winches,  anchors, 
masts,  yards,  et  cetera.  Then,  if  the  ship  was  of 
wood,  it  was  burned  in  order  to  save  the  copper 
nails  and  sheathing  in  its  hull.  Krum  Bay,  in 
consequence,  has  often  been  named  "the  grave- 
yard of  ships,'*  and  for  many  years  it  was  held  in 
bad  odor  by  the  insurance  companies. 

Of  late  years,  however,  these  conditions  have 
been  changed,  and  the  wrecking-yard  pursues  the 
legitimate  calling  of  providing  missing  parts  for 
storm-tossed  ships  which  come  to  St.  Thomas  for 
repairs. 

The  owner  of  the  shipping  yard  has  a  small 

museum  of  curiosities  which  he  at  different  times 

saved  from  ships,  such  as  old  style  compasses, 

119 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

barometers,  signal  cannon,  and  a  thousand  and 
one  other  articles  found  on  ancient  wind-jammers 
before  the  advent  of  steam  made  navigation  a 
matter  of  exact  science.  Here  also  is  a  strange 
collection  of  figure-heads  from  old  sailing  ships. 
The  owner  has  around  his  dwelling  house  and 
repair  shops  perhaps  eighteen  or  twenty  of  these 
curious  relics.  On  one  side  is  Joan  of  Arc,  a  gaudily 
dressed  female  who  once  was  the  pride  of  a  sailing 
vessel  of  that  name.  Then  a  respectable  old 
gentleman  in  a  white  choker  collar  calls  to  mind  an 
old  whaUng  captain,  who  not  only  gave  his  name 
to  the  ship  he  owned  but  found  it  necessary  to 
embellish  his  command  with  his  own  eflSgy.  An 
American  eagle  speaks  of  the  days  when  the  fame 
of  clipper  ships  was  undimmed,  and  a  Pocahontas, 
in;  conventional  Indian  dress  with  buckskin  moc- 
casins, brings  to  mind  the  picture  of  a  staunch  old 
sailing  vessel  from  a  southern  port. 

The  owner  of  the  yard  is  inordinately  fond  of 
these  figure-heads  and  will  not  part  with  them  at 
any  price.  Every  year  he  decorates  his  charges 
with  coats  of  paints  of  many  hues,  and  he  is  only 
too  glad  to  relate  their  history  to  visitors  who  call 

at  his  establishment. 
120 


THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL  VIEWS 

The  road  to  the  westward  leads  on  to  Mosquito 
Bay,  where  there  is  opportunity  for  excellent  sea 
bathing.  Beyond  this  comes  Brewer's  Bay,  one 
of  the  most  charming  inlets  on  the  island.  The 
road  then  ascends  the  mountain  range,  and,  after 
passing  a  few  small  settlements  consisting  of  two 
or  three  houses,  finally  comes  to  Botany  Bay  on 
the  extreme  western  end  of  the  island.  From 
Botany  Bay,  in  plantation  days,  escaping  slaves 
made  their  way  to  Porto  Rico  by  way  of  the  small 
cays  which  lie  between  St.  Thomas  and  Porto  Rico. 
They  made  the  dangerous  journey  in  canoes,  which 
they  either  stole  from  their  owners  or  found  oppor- 
tunity to  manufacture.  The  returning  of  these 
escaped  slaves  was  always  a  matter  of  controversy 
between  the  Danish  or  Dutch  owners  and  the 
Spanish  authorities  on  Porto  Rico,  since  the  latter 
claimed  that  the  slaves  came  to  Porto  Rico  to  be 
baptized  in  the  Catholic  religion.  This  was  their 
excuse  for  retaining  the  valuable  property.  While 
the  slaves  went  to  Porto  Rico  to  escape  the  cruelties 
of,  Danish  or  Dutch  owners,  history  does  not  state 
that  they  received  any  kinder  treatment  from  the 
Spaniards,  who  were  never  noted  for  their  gentle- 
ness toward  those  they  held  in  bondage. 

121 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Throughout  St.  Thomas  are  small  patches  of 
cultivated  land  which  are  tilled  by  the  so-called 
** cha-chas.'*  These  patches  are  frequently  located 
on  the  precipitous  slopes  of  the  mountains  and  it 
is  a  wonder  that  the  roots  of  plants  can  take 
hold  there  and  that  the  agriculturists  can  keep 
their  balance  while  engaged  in  tilUng  the  soil. 
These  cha-chas  are  white  settlers  who  came  origi- 
nally from  the  Dutch  and  French  Leeward  Islands. 
They  have  not  intermarried  with  the  negroes  and 
they  live  to  themselves,  resenting  any  outside 
interference  with  their  affairs.  They  are  a  hard 
drinking  race,  yet  they  are  among  the  most  indus- 
trious people  on  the  island,  and  are  especially  good 
canoemen.  Their  canoes  are  not  much  better  than 
boxes  made  from  scraps  of  wood,  but  they  manage 
not  only  to  get  about  in  them  but  also  to  prevent 
themselves  from  getting  drowned.  With  their 
ruddy  faces,  stiffly  starched  blue  shirts,  tight  white 
trousers  and  broad-brimmed  straw  hats  of  their 
own  manufacture,  they  present  a  curious  and 
unusual  appearance. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN 

m  THE  DAYS  OF  COMPANY  RULE—ADVENTURES  OF  THE 
FIRST  SETTLERS— ENCOURAGEMENTS  TO  GROWERS  OF 
SUGAR-CANE— THE  HARSH  MEASURES  THAT  INCITED  A 
SLAVE  INSURRECTION— A  CAPTURED  FORT,  A  SIEGE  RE- 
LIEVED AND  GUERILLA  WARFARE— THE  AFTERMATH  OF 
THE  REBELLION— INCREASING  POPULATION 

HISTORY  does  not  tell  the  exact  year  in 
which  St.  John  was  settled.  As  early  as 
1687  the  Danish  West  India  and  Guinea 
Company  seems  to  have  laid  claim  not  only  to  St. 
Thomas  but  also  to  St.  John  and  Crab  (Vieques) 
Islands;  at  any  rate  the  appointment  papers  of 
Governor  Adolph  Esmit,  who  succeeded  Governor 
Milan  in  that  year,  included  all  these  islands  under 
his  charge.  This  may,  of  course,  have  been  an 
idle  claim  on  the  part  of  the  company  and  an 
unwarranted  assumption  of  authority  over  islands 
to  which  they  had  no  right.  Three  years  earlier, 
in  1684,  with  the  aid  of  two  merchants  from  Bar- 
badoes,  an  attempt  seems  to  have  been  made  to 
set  up  an  establishment  of  a  sort  on  St.  John,  but 
Governor  Stapleton  of  the  Leeward  Islands  sent 
two  sloops  and  drove  away  the  forty  odd  men  that 
had  established  themselves  there. 

123 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

In  1688  the  Governor  of  St.  Thomas  was  in- 
structed by  the  directors  of  the  West  India  Com- 
pany to  place  from  four  to  six  men  on  the  island 
of  St.  John  and  to  encourage  them  to  begin  plant- 
ing, but  it  was  not  until  1717  that  these  plans  were 
actually  carried  out.  In  1716  the  governor  of 
St.  Thomas  wrote  his  directors  that  a  number  of 
his  charges  were  anxious  to  settle  on  St.  John,  but 
that  they  w^ere  afraid  to  do  so  because  the  British 
from  Tortola  would  allow  no  one  of  another 
nationality  to  go  there  and  cut  timber.  In  reply 
the  directors  sent  instructions  that  the  British 
claims  to  St.  John  were  to  be  disregarded.  Con- 
sequently, in  1717,  Governor  Erik  Bredal  took 
passage  on  an  armed  vessel  with  twenty  planters, 
sixteen  negroes,  five  soldiers  and  one  officer,  and 
landed  on  St.  John  in  Coral  Harbor  Bay. 

The  governor  afterwards  reported  the  adven- 
tures of  the  expedition,  as  follows : 

"I  have  planted  there  the  flag  of  our  most  gra- 
cious king,  and  fired  a  salute,  and  then  we  feasted, 
and  drunk  the  health,  first  of  our  sovereign,  and 
then  of  the  Company.  Later,  I  selected  a  place 
on  which  to  build  a  fort  and  a  level  place  beneath 
it  on  which  a  village  can  stand.  The  harbor  here 
124 


THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN 

is  quite  secure  and  when  a  person  is  in  it,  he  sees 
land  all  about  him.  I  have  permitted  the  planters 
to  indicate  which  pieces  of  land  they  preferred  and 
have  selected  a  place  for  the  Company's  plantation 
just  a  cannon-shot  distance  from  the  fort  which 
is  to  be  built  there.  Later,  the  planters  have 
returned  because  of  their  fear  of  the  English  and 
are  simply  w  aiting  cautiously  to  see  what  the  latter 
will  attempt." 

Although  the  planters  returned  to  St.  Thomas 
in  trepidation,  fearing  an  invasion  by  the  British, 
the  little  garrison  sent  by  the  governor  seems  to 
have  been  made  of  sterner  stuff.  The  sixteen 
negroes,  helped  by  the  five  soldiers  and  commanded 
by  the  Danish  oflScer,  cleared  ground  around  the 
site  selected  for  the  fort  and  made  a  road  through 
the  brush  on  which  to  drag  the  nine-pounders  that 
were  to  be  mounted  on  the  redoubts. 

When  the  discovery  was  made  that  the  Danes 
really  intended  to  claim  St.  John  and  that,  if 
necessary,  they  were  ready  to  defend  their  claim, 
the  governor  of  the  Leeward  Islands  dispatched  a 
man-of-war  to  Charlotte-Amalia  to  remonstrate 
with  Governor  Bredal  and  to  intimidate  him  with 
threats  of  an  armed  descent  upon  the  infant  colony. 

125 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Bredal  returned  a  message  to  the  British  authorities 
that  he  was  but  following  out  the  directions  given 
him  from  Copenhagen.  Forthwith  he  notified  his 
directors  of  the  threats  that  had  been  made,  at 
the  same  time  pleading  for  the  sending  from  Den- 
mark of  a  reinforcement  of  a  hundred  men.  Hav- 
ing additional  forces,  he  seems  to  have  considered 
that  any  British  attempt  to  dislodge  the  new 
settlement  on  St.  John  was  doomed  to  failure. 

St.  John  soon  attracted  other  settlers  from  the 
neighboring  island  of  St.  Thomas,  as  can  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  by  1720  thirty-nine 
planters  had  received  deeds  to  estates  on  the 
island.  Exemptions  from  taxation  were  granted 
for  the  first  eight  years  of  residence  and  settlers 
were  allowed  to  take  as  much  lime  and  wood  as 
they  wanted  free  of  cost  in  order  to  enable  them 
to  erect  their  buildings.  They  were  requested  to 
set  up  their  sugar  mills  within  five  years  after  the 
land  grant  was  made,  and,  in  the  event  that  they 
did  not  carry  out  this  stipulation,  their  property 
was  to  revert  to  the  West  India  Company. 

Not  only  did  the  new  plantations  prove  to  be 
more  productive  than  those  on  less  fertile  St. 
Thomas,  but  grants  of  land  to  each  settler  were 
126 


THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN 

also  fifty  per  cent.  larger,  so  that  it  was  not  long 
before  prosperity  began  to  show  itself  and  the 
island  became  a  large  sugar  producing  center. 

The  settlers  were  of  all  nationalities,  but  the 
majority  were  of  Dutch  stock.  Evidences  of  Dutch 
blood  on  the  island  are  not  lacking  to-day,  as  many 
of  the  place-names  are  in  the  Dutch  language. 
In  1733  St.  John  had  a  population  of  two  hundred 
and  eight  whites  and  ten  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
negro  slaves. 

On  November  13,  1733,  a  serious  revolt  of  the 
St.  John  slaves  took  place.  This  revolt  was  indi- 
rectly due  to  the  harsh  measures  adopted  by  Gov- 
ernor GardeUn,  who,  in  order  to  stop  the  escapes 
of  Africans  to  the  neighboring  island  of  Porto 
Rico,  published  a  proclamation  which  imposed  dire 
penalties  for  the  punishment  of  offenders.  The 
leader  of  runaway  slaves  was  to  be  pinched  thrice 
with  red  hot  irons  and  then  hung.  Every  runaway 
slave  was  to  lose  one  leg  or  one  ear,  or  he  was  to 
receive  one  hundred  and  fifty  stripes  in  case  his 
owner  preferred  that  he  be  given  the  latter  punish- 
ment. Any  slave  who  knew  of  a  plot  to  escape 
and  did  not  inform  his  master  was  to  be  punished 

with  a  brand  on  the  forehead  as  well  as  a  hundred 

127 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

stripes.  On  the  other  hand,  any  slave  who  gave 
information  of  a  plot  was  to  be  rewarded  with 
ten  dollars  for  every  slave  who  proposed  to  take 
part  in  the  plan  to  gain  liberty.  Any  slave  who 
lifted  his  hand  against  a  white  person  was  to  be 
hung,  in  case  the  white  person  made  this  demand; 
if  not,  he  was  to  lose  his  right  hand.  A  slave  who 
attempted  to  poison  his  master  was  to  be  pinched 
thrice  with  a  red  hot  iron  and  then  broken  on  the 
wheel.  The  proclamation  that  told  of  these  penal- 
ties was  to  be  repeated  thrice  a  year  to  the  beat  of 
the  drum. 

The  slaves  resented  these  terrible  measures,  and 
soon  an  open  revolt  broke  out.  Secret  prepara- 
tions were  made  by  them  to  surprise  the  garrison 
of  the  little  fort  overlooking  Coral  Bay,  which  w^as 
built  in  1717.  Here  were  stationed  but  eight  sol- 
diers, commanded  by  a  sergeant,  and  one  officer. 
On  the  morning  of  November  23, 1733,  the  sentinel 
observed  at  the  entrance  of  the  fort  a  small  band 
of  negroes,  carrying  fagots  of  wood.  When  they 
were  challenged  they  said  that  they  were  coming 
with  wood  for  the  soldiers.  But  as  soon  as  the 
negroes  were  inside  the  gate  they  dropped  the 

fagots  and  massacred  the  garrison  with  the  large 
128 


THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN 

cane-knives  which  had  been  hidden  in  the  bundles. 
Only  one  soldier,  who  had  hidden  himself  under  a 
bed,  escaped.  Having  disposed  of  the  garrison, 
the  victorious  negroes  gave  the  signal  for  a  general 
massacre  by  firing  three  shots  from  the  cannon 
on  the  fortifications.  The  murderous  rebels  then 
proceeded  to  the  Caroline  Estate,  where  they  killed 
the  judge  of  the  island  and  his  daughter,  with 
twenty-five  other  men,  women  and  children. 

In  the  meantime  many  of  the  planters,  together 
with  their  families  and  such  slaves  as  remained 
faithful  to  them,  had  betaken  themselves  to  the 
estate  of  Peter  Duerloo,  called  Little  Cinnamon 
Bay,  now  known  as  K.  C.  Bay,  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  island.  As  the  estate  was  built  on  an 
eminence  and  defended  by  two  small  cannon,  the 
refugees  felt  that  they  could  defend  themselves 
there  against  the  embittered  slaves.  Another  ad- 
vantage was  that  they  were  within  easy  reach  of 
St.  Thomas.  The  women  and  children  were  sent  by 
canoes  to  places  of  safety  on  nearby  cays,  while  the 
men  put  their  defenses  in  order  and  sent  an  urgent 
plea  for  assistance  to  the  governor  of  St.  Thomas. 

A  number  of  revolting  slaves  soon  arrived  at 

the  Duerloo  estate,  but   they   suffered   severely 
9  129 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

from  a  discharge  of  grapeshot  which  killed  a  num- 
ber of  them.  Noting  the  preparations  which  had 
been  made  for  defense,  they  could  not  summon 
enough  courage  to  attempt  to  rush  the  improvised 

fort. 

Not  long  afterwards  a  boat  with  some  eighteen 
soldiers  arrived  from  St.  Thomas.  The  governor 
also  dispatched  a  larger  body  of  troops  to  Coral 
Bay,  on  the  other  end  of  the  island.  After  travers- 
ing the  island  these  troops  relieved  the  siege  of 
Little  Cinnamon  Bay. 

For  a  time  the  revolting  slaves  were  in  com- 
mand of  the  situation.  With  the  exception  of 
Duerloo's  estate,  the  entire  island  of  St.  John  was 
at  their  mercy.  There  was  much  pillaging  and 
burning  of  estate  houses  and  sugar  factories;  prac- 
tically every  estate  suffered.  Two  attempts  were 
made  by  the  St.  Thomas  government  to  put  an 
end  to  the  uprising  and  to  restore  St.  John  to  its 
legitimate  owners.  The  authorities  first  secured 
the  services  of  the  captain  of  a  British  man-of-war 
that  was  just  then  paying  a  visit  to  Tortola.  Land- 
ing forces  from  this  frigate  were  ambushed  by  the 
negroes  and  were  forced  to  withdraw  with  the  loss 
of  four  wounded. 
130 


THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN 

Early  in  1734,  another  British  force  of  volun- 
teers from  the  island  of  Nevis  attempted  to  dis- 
lodge the  rebels,  but  these  troops  also  suffered 
defeat  with  a  loss  of  three  men  killed  and  five 
wounded,  and  left  the  island  quicker  than  they  came. 

During  all  these  months,  the  slaves  were  in 
possession  of  the  Coral  Bay  fort,  which  they  seemed 
determined  to  hold  at  all  odds,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  their  supply  of  gunpowder  was  running  low 
and  that  they  had  no  means  of  obtaining  a  fresh 
stock. 

Becoming  desperate,  the  colonists  finally  ap- 
pealed to  the  governor  of  the  French  island  of  La 
Martinique.  This  governor  was  informed  that  his 
men  would  be  allowed  to  keep  four-fifths  of  all  the 
rebels  captured,  while  the  Danes  would  retain  the 
remainder  in  order  to  punish  them  as  an  example 
and  a  warning  to  the  slaves  on  St.  Thomas  in  case 
they  felt  inclined  to  attempt  a  similar  revolt.  Two 
French  barks  were  promptly  dispatched  with  a 
body  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  men.  To  this 
force  was  added  a  Danish  contingent,  made  up  of 
the  majority  of  the  local  soldiers,  numerous  planters 
and  seventy-four  loyal  slaves  from  St.  Thomas. 

After  a  landing  was  effected  in  Coral  Bay,  a 

131 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

guerilla  warfare  was  begun,  for  the  negro  forces, 
abandoning  the  fort  and  splitting  up  into  separate 
bands,  were  pursued  in  all  directions.  So  desperate 
had  the  situation  of  the  revolting  slaves  become 
that  some  of  them  were  forced  to  arm  themselves 
with  bows  and  arrows,  owing  to  the  lack  of  gun- 
powder. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  pursuers  were 
successful  in  their  grim  task.  Numerous  small 
bands  of  slaves  were  overtaken  and  killed  after 
offering  an  unsuccessful  resistance.  Finally,  on 
May  24,  a  small  band  of  some  twenty-four  negroes 
was  found  dead  in  the  jungle.  Evidently  the  men 
had  committed  suicide  when  they  found  that  their 
last  hope  of  escape  was  gone  and  that  the  liberty 
for  which  they  longed  was  forever  out  of  their 
reach.  It  was  then  thought  that  all  revolting 
negroes  had  been  accounted  for. 

Twenty-seven  captured  slaves  who  had  taken 
part  in  the  revolution  were  summarily  executed  as 
a  warning  to  possible  future  wrong-doers. 

About  two  months  after  the  departure  of  the 

French  it  was  reported  that  a  party  of  fourteen 

slaves  were  still  at  liberty.    These  also  soon  gave 

themselves  up,  relying  on  the  promise  of  uncondi- 
132 


THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  ST.  JOHN 

tional  pardon.  This  promise  was  not  kept,  how- 
ever, and  they  were  all  put  to  death. 

Of  the  ninety-two  plantations  on  the  island 
forty-eight  had  been  damaged  by  the  rebels,  some 
of  these  having  been  totally  destroyed.  But 
another  sad  consequence  of  the  affair  was  a  quarrel 
between  the  planters  and  the  Danish  West  India 
Company.  The  planters  claimed  that  the  original 
insurrection  had  been  started  on  the  Caroline 
Estate  of  the  Company,  by  laborers  belonging  to 
the  company.  They  also  said  that  the  fort  had 
been  left  in  an  insecure  condition  and  that  it  w^as 
not  properly  garrisoned,  so  that  it  had  been  easily 
surprised.  For  these  reasons  the  planters  refused 
to  pay  one-third  of  the  expenses  incurred  in  quel- 
ling the  rebellion  which  the  St.  Thomas  authorities 
wished  to  charge  up  to  them. 

While  the  rebellion  was  the  cause  of  a  great 
deal  of  loss  to  the  planters,  some  of  whom  were 
forced  to  leave  the  island  and  settle  on  Tortola  in 
order  to  escape  their  debts,  St.  John  must  have 
speedily  recovered  its  prosperity.  At  any  rate, 
records  show  that  in  1789  the  island  had  a  popula- 
tion of  2383,  of  whom  167  were  white,  while  16 

were  free  negroes  and  2200  were  slaves. 

133 


CHAPTER  VII 
AROUND  ST.  JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST  LINE 

THE  PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF  ST.  JOHN— MARKETING  BY 
SAILBOAT— THE  NAMING  OF  K.  C.  BAY— THE  MISTAKE  OF 
THE  CORAL  BAY  BOOMERS-AN  ATTRACTIVE  CLIMATE— 
AN  ISLAND  WHOSE  PROSPEROUS  DAYS  ARE  IN  THE  FUTURE 

ST.  JOHN  lies  in  latitude  18  degrees,  20 
minutes  N.  and  longitude  64  degrees,  45 
minutes  W.,  and  it  is  but  three  miles  from 
the  extreme  western  point  of  the  island  to  the 
extreme  eastern  point  of  St.  Thomas.  Numerous 
cays  lie  between  St.  John  and  St.  Thomas,  but 
with  the  exception  of  Lovango  Cay  and  Thatch 
Cay  these  are  uninhabited. 

Strong  currents  set  between  the  straits  that 
divide  the  islands  and  the  smaller  cays,  and  navi- 
gation for  large  vessels  is  dangerous  in  the  extreme 
unless  a  local  pilot  is  on  board  to  inform  the  com- 
mander as  to  the  way  in  which  the  variable  currents 
set  at  different  times. 

St.  John,  unlike  St.  Thomas,  is  not  surrounded 

by  cays  of  any  size.     It  approaches  the  British 

territory  closely  in  the  strait  named  The  Narrows, 

where  but  one  mile  divides  the  United  States 
134 


ST.  JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST  LINE 

island  of  St.  John  from  the  British  Thatch  Island. 

St.  John  is  nine  miles  long,  while  its  breadth 
is  irregular;  at  the  widest  point  it  is  five  miles 
across.  The  area  is  19.77  square  miles,  or  nearly 
12,700  acres,  of  which  not  over  400  acres  are  under 
cultivation.  If  the  bay  tree  groves  are  included, 
the  total  cultivated  area  might  amount  to  about 
1600  acres. 

The  island  consists  of  a  series  of  mountain 
peaks,  which  lie  in  no  particular  order;  the  entire 
island  is  made  up  of  hills  and  valleys,  with  almost 
no  level  land.  The  only  regular  mountain  range 
runs  along  the  north  coast,  but  this  is  not  continu- 
ous and  cannot  rightly  be  named  a  range.  The 
highest  elevation  is  Camel  Mountain,  about  1300 
feet  high.  The  next  highest,  Bourdeaux  Mountain, 
is  1270  feet  high. 

There  are  a  number  of  small  streams  which 

empty  on  the  south  side  into  the  sea,  so  that  St. 

John  is  far  better  watered  than  the  other  islands 

of  the  group.    While  these  streams  are  of  no  great 

size,  they  are  sufficient  to  insure  a  supply  of  water 

at  all  times.    A  multitude  of  springs  help  to  promise 

success  to  future  agricultural  efforts. 

The  island  is  in  large  part  of  the  same  geological 

135 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

formation  as  St.  Thomas,  though  a  larger  quantity 
of  coraline  limestone  is  found  here.  Copper-  and 
iron-bearing  rocks  also  are  said  to  exist,  and  the 
presence  of  greenish  and  reddish  stones  at  Reef 
Bay,  in  which  copper  can  be  detected,  seem  to 
bear  out  this  statement.  Yet  it  is  not  thought 
that  the  ores  contain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  metal 
to  make  the  working  of  the  deposits  profitable. 
The  land  of  the  island  is  far  more  fertile  than  that 
of  St.  Thomas  and  the  soil  covering  the  rocks  is 
found  in  far  thicker  layers. 

No  ships  called  at  St.  John,  with  the  exception 
of  an  occasional  schooner  which  puts  into  Coral 
Bay  to  load  cattle  for  the  neighboring  islands,  and 
the  only  regular  communication  with  St.  Thomas 
consists  of  the  bi-weekly  trips  of  a  small  sloop 
which  carries  the  mail  from  one  island  to  the  other. 
All  inhabitants  of  any  consequence  own  their  little 
sailing  boats  which  they  use  not  only  for  fishing 
but  also  for  the  transportation  of  their  humble 
products  to  the  St.  Thomas  markets. 

The  bays  and  inlets  of  St.  John  are  not  quite 

as  numerous  as  those  of  St.  Thomas,  there  being 

thirty-one  on  the  former  island  and  forty-five  on 

the  latter.     Yet  the  entire  island  of  St.  John  has 

136 


J»    ^  , 


RUINS    OF    K.    C.    BAY    SUGAR    ESTATE,    ST.    JOHN 


FORT    FKEDER1K.STED,    ST.    CROIX 


y*' 


ST.  JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST  LINE 

an  indented  shore  line.  Beginning  on  the  west 
coast  one  finds  Cruz  Bay,  where  is  one  of  the  two 
fairly  large  settlements.  This  bay  has  for  the  last 
hundred  years  been  the  site  of  the  government 
offices  and  the  residence  of  the  local  official  in 
charge  of  the  island.  A  large  building  which  was 
fort,  jail,  court  house  and  residence  of  the  police- 
master  in  one,  testifies  to  the  former  importance 
of  what  is  now  an  almost  deserted  island. 

To  the  north  of  Cruz  Bay,  one  finds  K.  C.  Bay, 
where  the  large  ruins  of  Duerloo's  estate  call  to 
mind  the  heroic  defense  of  the  settlers  against  the 
revolting  slaves  in  1733.  The  origin  of  the  name 
*'K.  C.  Bay"  is  curious.  In  the  days  of  the  first 
colonization  a  Hollander  who  started  a  plantation 
on  the  north  coast  of  the  island  found  a  large  cin- 
namon tree  on  the  shores  of  the  bay  included  in 
his  land  grant.  He  named  his  property  ''Caneel- 
boom,"  or  Cinnamon  Tree.  In  later  years  he 
owned  another  estate  which  he  named  "Klein 
Caneelboom,"  or  Little  Cinnamon  Tree.  This 
name  proved  too  much  for  the  linguistic  attain- 
ments of  the  other  settlers,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  the  abbreviation  K.  C.  Bay  found  popular 

acceptance. 

137 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

After  beautiful  K.  C.  Bay  one  comes  to  Dennis 
Bay.  The  next  bay  to  the  north  is  Cinnamon  Bay, 
and  Maho  Bay  comes  next.  Finally,  Francis  Bay 
lies  to  the  west  of  Mary's  Point.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  point,  still  on  the  north  coast,  is  found 
Leinster  Bay,  the  estate  house  of  which  atone 
time  boasted  the  presence  of  the  one  Masonic 
Lodge  on  the  island.  The  entire  upper  part  of 
this  '* great  house"  which  was  situated  on  a  hill 
overlooking  the  bay,  was  demolished  by  the  hur- 
ricane of  October,  1916,  and  the  majority  of  the 
owner's  effects  were  blown  down  the  hill  into  the 
sea.  Brown's  Bay  and  Mennebeck  Bay  are  also 
found  on  the  north  coast  toward  the  eastern  part 
of  the  island. 

On  the  extreme  eastern  peninsula  is  found 
Privateer  Bay,  named  after  the  sea  rovers  who 
used  to  put  in  here  to  careen  their  ships.  Reports 
are  current  in  the  East  End  settlement — the  second 
of  the  two  most  important  settlements  of  St.  John 
— that  there  is  pirates'  gold  in  the  sands  surround- 
ing this  bay,  and  many  a  futile  search  has  been 
made  for  this. 

Then  comes  Coral  Bay.    Extending  inland  from 

Red  Point  on  the  east  to  Ram's  Head  on  the  west, 
138 


ST.  JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST  LINE 

this  bay  has  numerous  inlets,  of  which  Hansen 
Bay,  Watercreek  Bay,  Hurricane  Hole  and  Coral 
Harbor  Bay  are  the  most  important.  Coral  Bay 
is  by  far  the  best  harbor  in  the  Lesser  Antilles, 
and  even  boasts  of  many  advantages  which  surpass 
those  of  the  wonderful  bay  of  St.  Thomas.  It  is 
less  exposed  to  the  south  and  is  absolutely  pro- 
tected from  all  other  points  of  the  compass,  so 
that,  in  case  of  a  hurricane,  ships  lying  in  the  bay 
would  have  but  to  shift  their  anchorage  to  any 
one  of  the  deep  indentations  of  Hurricane  Hole  in 
order  to  be  able  to  ride  out  the  storm  in  perfect 
safety.  The  shores  of  the  bay  are  steep,  and  vessels 
of  large  draught  can  come  quite  close  to  the  shore. 
The  numerous  peninsulas  serve  admirably  for 
the  erection  of  warehouses  and  piers.  Of  late  years 
a  number  of  St.  Thomians,  hearing  rumors  of  the 
possible  acquisition  of  the  islands  by  the  United 
States,  bought  up  several  of  the  abandoned  estates 
lying  upon  the  bay.  Their  idea  was  that  the  naval 
authorities  might  decide  to  use  Coral  Bay  for  a 
base  instead  of  the  harbor  of  Charlotte-Amalia. 
A  little  reflection  on  the  part  of  the  speculators 
might  have  convinced  them  of  the  impracticability 
of  this  idea,  for  the  mountains  of  the  neighboring 

139 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

island  of  Tortola  completely  overlook  the  bay  and 
are  but  four  miles  removed  from  the  inlets,  as  the 
crow  flies.  It  would,  of  course,  not  be  wise  to 
build  a  naval  station  on  the  shores  of  a  bay  that 
could  be  controlled  completely  by  an  eminence  on 
an  island  belonging  to  another  nation,  upon  which 
the  mounting  of  guns  of  heavy  calibre  would  be 
an  easy  matter.  The  harbor  of  St.  Thomas  does 
not  have  a  like  drawback. 

It  is  not  conceivable  that  Coral  Harbor  will 
ever  be  able  to  supplant  the  harbor  of  Charlotte- 
Amalia  even  in  commercial  importance,  since 
steamers  would  not  here  find  the  facilities  for 
loading  and  unloading  their  cargo  and  for  filling 
their  bunkers  with  coal  which  they  at  present  have 
on  St.  Thomas. 

The  south  coast  of  the  island  is  precipitous  and 
has  but  few  bays  that  are  easy  of  approach.  The 
promontory  of  Ram's  Head,  which  forms  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  Coral  Bay,  is  usually  given  a 
wide  berth  by  local  sailors;  the  seas  run  high  in 
this  neighborhood,  and  the  cliff-like  rocks  make 
landing  an  impossibility. 

After  passing  this  dangerous  spot,  one  comes 
to  Lamesure  Bay  and  then  to  Reef  Bay,  a  reef- 
140 


ST.  JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST  LINE 

girdled  inlet  formerly  of  importance  as  a  sugar 
shipping  center.  Continuing  to  the  westward, 
Fish  Bay  and  Rendezvous  Bay  are  found,  the 
latter  so  named  because  it  was  the  favorite  meeting 
place  for  certain  privateers  who  assembled  here  to 
prepare  for  their  piratical  raids  upon  the  St. 
Thomas  shipping.  The  last  bay,  on  the  southwest 
coast,  is  Great  Cruz  Bay. 

No  statistics  are  available  as  to  the  cKmate  of 
St.  John.  In  general,  it  can  safely  be  said  that 
the  average  temperature  here  is  fully  five  degrees 
lower  than  on  St.  Thomas,  even  on  the  areas  lying 
at  sea  level.  A  stay  at  Cruz  Bay  or  on  the  north 
coast  will  speedily  convince  the  traveler  that  he 
must  sleep  under  a  blanket,  and  if  he  spends  a 
night  in  the  mountains  he  will  find  the  air  quite 
bracing. 

The  rainfall  has  never  been  systematically 
measured,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  far  larger  here 
than  on  any  other  island  of  the  group.  In  all 
probability  this  is  due  to  the  forests  which  still 
cover  the  hilltops. 

This  island  also  lies  in  the  hurricane  belt,  and 

it  did  not  escape  from  damage  during  the  disaster 

of  October,  1916.     In  fact,  the  storm  was  more 

141 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

destructive  here  than  on  St.  Thomas,  although — 
owing  to  the  comparatively  few  settlers  on  St.  John 
— the  material  damage  was  not  great.  The  Mora- 
vian missionary  station  and  settlement  of  Emmaus, 
on  the  shores  of  Coral  Bay,  was  among  the  worst 
sufferers  and  the  church,  living  house  and  school- 
house  were  totally  wrecked.  Practically  all  the 
lime  and  coconut  trees  were  destroyed  and  the 
bay  trees  were  stripped  of  their  leaves  and  badly 
damaged.  The  forests  were  devastated  and  the 
ruins  of  many  an  old  and  forgotten  plantation- 
house,  which  had  been  hidden  by  the  jungle,  came 
to  light  with  the  removal  of  the  larger  trees. 

No  snakes  or  poisonous  insects  other  than  the 
usual  centipedes  and  scorpions  are  found  on  the 
island.  Mosquitoes  are  few,  but  sand-flies  generally 
herald  the  approach  of  a  coming  rain  by  their 
vicious  bites.  In  this  respect  the  island  is  not  so 
different  from  the  other  Antilles,  where  some  kind 
of  similar  affliction  is  always  found,  reminding 
the  visitor  that  even  the  happy  existence  of  the 
tropics  has  a  few  drawbacks. 

It  is  needless  to  speak  of  the  sanitary  conditions 
of  the  island.     Since  there  are  no  settlements  of 
any  size,  epidemics  do  not  take  place  and  malarial 
142 


ST.  JOHN'S  INDENTED  COAST  LINE 

fevers  are  unknown.  The  natives  sometimes  suffer 
from  fevers  which  are  attributed  to  malaria,  but 
an  investigation  will  show  that  these  were  brought 
on  by  exposure  and  carelessness.  During  the  last 
two  years  of  the  Danish  rule  no  physician  was 
stationed  on  the  island.  A  St.  Thomian  doctor 
came  here  every  month  or  two  for  a  short  visit, 
staying  just  long  enough  to  relieve  the  ailments  of 
the  few  patients  to  be  found. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

REMINDERS  OF  FORMER  RICHES— COMMERCIAL  AND  AGRI- 
CULTURAL POSSIBILITIES— THE  MAKING  OF  BAY  RUM- 
CATTLE  RAISING  AND  FISHING— THE  STORY  OF  THE  PETRO- 
GLYPHS— SCENERY  AND  RUINS  TO  DELIGHT  THE  VISITOR 
—THE  CROSS  AT  REEF  BAY— LEGENDS  OF  SLAVERY  DAYS- 
TREASURES  OF  OLD  FURNITURE— THE  POSSIBILITIES  OF 
ST.  JOHN 

ST.  JOHN  has  a  population  of  not  over  nine 
hundred.  Possibly  the  number  is  even 
smaller,  no  census  having  been  taken  for 
a  considerable  period.  Of  this  population  fully 
ninety-nine  per  cent,  are  colored. 

Like  the  St.  Thomas  negro,  the  St.  John  negro 
is  noted  for  his  politeness.  Added  to  this  virtue 
is  friendliness  toward  strangers.  The  negroes  are 
very  accommodating,  without  a  thought  of  recom- 
pense for  their  services,  as  many  a  visitor  has 
learned  during  a  stay  on  the  island.  For  instance, 
should  one  get  lost  on  one  of  the  mountain  trails 
he  would  need  only  to  tell  of  his  predicament  to 
the  first  native  he  meets.  At  once  the  native  would 
accompany  the  stranger  and  show  him  the  right 
road.  He  will  expect  no  reward,  nor  will  he  think 
144 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  the  possibility  of  reward,  even  though  he  be 
suffering  from  the  pangs  of  hunger  and  though  he 
may  have  gone  far  out  of  his  way  to  be  of  service. 

There  is  much  misery  and  want  on  the  island. 
This  is  due  to  the  lack  of  work  and  the  very  small 
wages  which  the  planters — who  themselves  are 
forced  to  lead  a  hand-to-mouth  existence — are 
able  to  pay.  Unlike  a  St.  Thomian,  a  native  of 
St.  John  is  too  fond  of  his  little  island  to  wish 
to  seek  employment  elsewhere.  He  may  occa- 
sionally sign  on  as  a  sailor  on  some  local  vessel, 
but  the  ties  which  bind  him  to  his  own  island  are 
too  close  to  allow  him  to  remain  content  with  a 
prolonged  absence.  He  is  ready  to  eke  out  an 
existence  on  the  wages  of  whatever  work  he  can 
obtain  here,  rather  than  try  for  higher  wages 
elsewhere. 

The  inhabitants  make  their  living  principally 
by  the  collecting  and  selling  of  the  bayleaves  to 
the  owners  of  the  stills  which  manufacture  the 
essential  oil  of  bay  rum.  They  are  paid  eight 
cents  for  a  bag  of  leaves  weighing  sixty-five  to 
seventy  pounds.  This  opportunity  is  presented 
only  during  certain  seasons.    The  natives  are  also 

experts  at  the  building  of  small  sailing  boats;  poor 
10  145 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

indeed  is  the  man  who  does  not  own  a  small  craft 
of  some  kind  with  which  he  can  go  out  and  obtain 
his  supply  of  sea  food. 

The  two  principal  villages  of  the  island  are 
at  Cruz  Bay,  where  perhaps  a  hundred  and  fifty 
natives  reside,  and  at  East  End,  where  there  are 
not  more  than  a  hundred.  Still  another  settle- 
ment is  the  Moravian  station  of  Emmaus  in  the 
neighborhood  of  which  about  twelve  families,  con- 
sisting of  some  sixty  persons,  have  settled.  These 
three  villages  have  schools  with  a  fairly  good 
attendance.  In  recent  years  the  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries have  made  attempts  to  teach  the  chil- 
dren and  the  women  to  make  baskets  of  a  wiry 
kind  of  grass  that  grows  here  in  abundance.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  ultimately  the  sale  of  these 
baskets  to  visiting  tourists  on  St.  Thomas  may 
become  the  means  of  providing  many  a  St.  John 
family  with  pin-money.  There  is  no  reason  why 
brooms  should  not  be  made  of  this  same  grass, 
for  it  is  well  adapted  to  the  purpose.  The  scarcity 
of  broom  corn  in  the  United  States  and  the  high 
price  of  labor  there  would  help  in  the  development 
of  a  profitable  industry. 

The  ruins  of  sugar  estates  everywhere  convince 
146 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

one  of  the  former  importance  of  this  island  and 
of  the  riches  that  are  lying  idle  in  its  fertile  fields. 
Of  late  a  number  of  planters  have  made  attempts 
to  raise  on  these  abandoned  estates  lime  trees, 
from  whose  fruits  the  citric  acid  and  the  lime  juice 
of  commerce  are  manufactured.  With  slight  in- 
vestment this  venture  should  become  profitable. 
Machinery  could  be  installed  to  crush  the  fruit, 
and  the  old  sugar  kettles  could  be  employed  to 
evaporate  the  critic  acid  from  the  juice. 

Yet  another  industry  of  the  island  is  the 
manufacture  oi  charcoal,  which  commands  a  ready 
market  on  St.  Thomas.  Practically  all  cooking  in 
the  West  Indies  is  done  over  charcoal  stoves,  for 
charcoal  is  always  available  on  the  wooded  islands 
and  this  fuel  does  not  heat  up  the  kitchen  as  would 
a  coal-burning  range.  There  is  a  great  deal  of 
timber  on  the  abandoned  estates  of  St.  John,  so 
the  inhabitants  are  never  at  a  loss  for  wood  which 
can  be  manufactured  into  charcoal.  The  smoke 
arising  from  the  charcoal  pits  is  a  familiar  feature 
of  the  landscape. 

The  commercial  and  agricultural  possibilities 
of  St.  John  are  great.  In  the  first  place,  the  bay- 
tree  {Pimenta  acris)  flourishes  on  the  little  island. 

147 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

It  has  been  found  by  actual  experience  that  this 
bay  tree  is  somewhat  erratic  and  is  most  particular 
as  to  its  habitat.  Attempts  have  been  made  to 
grow  it  on  various  islands,  and  practically  all 
attempts  were  failures.  Even  on  St.  John,  small 
as  it  is,  it  seems  that  the  trees  do  well  only  in 
certain  parts  and  are  unable  to  gain  a  foothold  in 
other  parts.  Why  this  is  so  has  never  been  satis- 
factorily explained.  But  even  with  this  drawback 
there  are  to-day  many  regions  of  St.  John  where 
an  extensive  cultivation  of  the  baytree  would  be 
highly  profitable.  The  trees  are  not  regularly 
planted  or  set  out  at  the  present  time,  and  prop- 
agation is  entirely  due  to  natural  agents,  such 
as  the  birds  and  the  winds,  which  scatter  the 
seeds. 

The  leaves  of  the  baytree  are  gathered  by 
breaking  small  twigs  from  the  tree  and  afterwards 
separating  them  from  these  twigs.  Instead  of 
harming  the  tree,  this  breaking  off  of  the  smaller 
branches  seems  to  improve  it;  several  branches 
will  sprout  from  the  break  made  by  the  removal  of 
a  single  branch.  The  leaves  are  then  distilled  in 
copper  stills  of  the  usual  type.     This  distillation 

results  in  the  collecting  of  the  essential  oil,  the 

148 


> 

a:' 


C 

a 

C 
r 


r 
C 


■  3 


EAST    KSD,    ST.    JOHN 


BAY-OIL   STILL,    ST.    JOHN 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

bay-oil,  which  is  contained  in  the  minute  cells  of 
the  leaves.  The  bay-oil  is  sent  to  St.  Thomas  and 
is  there  mixed  with  white  rum  or  alcohol  in  the 
ratio  of  about  one  quart  of  oil  to  five  hundred 
quarts  of  rum,  the  resulting  product  being  the 
bay-rum  of  commerce.  If  cheap  alcohol  or  rum 
is  used  the  product  does  not  have  the  delicate 
odor  which  is  found  when  better  grades  are  em- 
ployed. The  essential  oil,  which  is  worth  from 
five  to  seven  dollars  per  quart,  has  a  strong  acrid 
odor. 

Occasionally  bay-rum  is  made  by  distilling  the 
bay  leaves  directly  in  the  rum,  but  this  method  is 
slower  and  far  more  expensive.  It  has  practically 
been  discontinued,  although  bay -rum  made  in  this 
manner  is  superior  in  quality  and  commands  a 
higher  price. 

The  bay  industry,  therefore,  presents  one  of  the 
possibilities  of  St.  John.  While  various  proprietors 
are  at  present  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
trees  and  the  distilling  of  the  oil,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  development  of  this  industry  would 
result  in  material  benefit,  especially  if  a  more 
modern  type  of  still  for  the  collection  of  the  oil 
were  employed. 

149 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Again,  St.  John  offers  great  possibilities  as  a 
cattle  raising  center.  While  the  ground  is  gener- 
ally steep  and  hilly,  the  slopes  are  covered  with 
excellent  grass  of  all  varieties  and  offer  feeding 
grounds  for  thousands  of  herds  of  cattle.  At  the 
present  time  cattle  raising  is  neglected  by  the 
majority  of  landowners,  there  being  but  two  real 
stock  farms  on  the  island,  with  a  total  of  about 
six  hundred  head  of  cattle.  Because  of  the  in- 
creased population  that  will  come  to  the  neighbor- 
ing island  of  St.  Thomas  through  the  prospective 
establishment  of  a  naval  station  there,  and  because 
of  the  fact  that  no  duty  would  have  to  be  paid  on 
cattle  exported  to  Porto  Rico  since  the  two  islands 
are  under  the  same  government,  a  ready  market 
would  be  found  for  all  cattle  raised  on  St.  John. 
There  would  be  no  rivalry  in  cattle  production  on 
the  other  islands  of  the  group,  for  St.  Thomas 
cannot  compare  with  St.  John  for  pasturage  or 
for  water  supply  and  practically  all  of  St.  Croix 
is  given  up  to  sugar  cultivation. 

The  water  surrounding  the  numerous  small  cays 

that  encircle  St.  John  literally  swarms  with  fish  of 

all  species.    Perhaps  no  better  fishing  grounds  can 

be  found  in  the  Antilles  than  those  between  St. 

150 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

John  and  the  cays  to  the  westward — Congo  Cay, 
Lovango  Cay,  Mingo  Cay,  and  Grass  Cay.  Yet 
there  is  always  an  unsatisfied  demand  for  fresh 
fish  in  Charlotte-Amalia,  and  this  demand  must 
increase  in  the  future.  What  then  could  be  a  more 
profitable  investment  than  a  suitable  fishing  boat 
with  a  motor  auxiliary  .^^  It  can  find  a  safe  harbor 
in  any  one  of  the  numerous  bays  of  St.  John  and, 
with  this  island  as  a  center,  can  fish  the  surround- 
ing waters  and  carry  the  catch  to  the  St.  Thomas 
market. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  a  tourist  anxious  to 
try  his  piscatorial  luck,  a  visit  to  the  little  cays 
between  the  two  larger  islands  is  well  worth  while. 
Lovango  Cay  is  inhabited  by  a  Danish  fisherman 
who  rents  the  little  island  from  the  government 
and  who  would  be  ready  to  show  the  visitor  the 
best  location  for  fishing.  By  either  trolling  or  rod 
fishing  success  is  certain  as  soon  as  the  bait  has 
been  in  the  water  for  the  briefest  possible  time. 

No  better  place  for  rod  fishing  can  be  found 
than  on  Congo  Cay,  which  is  located  due  north  of 
Lovango  Cay  and  faces  the  wide  Atlantic.  A 
visit  to  this  rocky  island  is  an  event.  It  consists 
of  nothing  but  a  collection  of  boulders  which  give 

151 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  impression  that  they  must  have  been  piled 
one  on  top  of  the  other  by  some  giant  who  wished 
to  amuse  himself.  Congo  Cay  presents  a  forbid- 
ding appearance.  Vegetation  is  noticeable  by  its 
absence.  The  island  resembles  the  upstanding  fin 
of  a  shark.  But  one  landing  place  is  found  here, 
and  that  is  a  mere  ledge  about  two  feet  above 
water  level  and  not  more  than  six  feet  wide  and 
twelve  feet  long.  The  visitor  who  is  desirous  of 
fishing  here  must  be  quick  of  eye  and  nimble  of 
foot  as  he  takes  a  hurried  jump  out  of  the  rowboat 
which  carries  him  to  his  destination.  Should  a 
heavy  sea  be  running  it  would  be  inadvisable  to 
attempt  to  make  the  landing,  for  not  only  would 
there  be  danger  of  smashing  the  boat  on  the  rocks, 
but,  even  if  a  landing  is  made,  it  might  prove 
impossible  to  embark  for  the  return  journey. 

The  best  rod  fishing  is  to  be  had  on  the  extreme 
eastern  point  of  Congo  Cay.  Fish  of  all  varieties 
seem  to  congregate  directly  under  the  rocks,  which 
are  some  twenty  feet  above  sea  level,  and  to  show 
an  eager  desire  to  be  caught. 

The  visitor  is  reminded  here  also  of  the  abo- 
rigines of  St.  Thomas  in  pre-Columbian  times,  who 
must  have  come  here  for  the  fishing,  for  in  the  rocks 
152 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

there  are  a  number  of  small  cavities,  perfectly- 
rounded,  in  which  the  Indians  evidently  pounded 
the  salt  used  to  preserve  the  fish  they  caught. 
There  is  evidence  that,  while  not  engaged  in  fish- 
ing, they  were  employed  in  carving  a  series  of 
apparently  meaningless  figures  upon  a  large,  flat 
boulder  on  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  cay. 
Carvings  of  this  character  are  named  pictographs, 
or  petroglyphs. 

^  "Petroglyph!"  Unless  one  should  happen  to 
be  a  professional  archeologist,  he  may  have  to 
consult  a  dictionary  to  find  out  the  meaning  of 
this  word.  And  yet  it  is  rather  simple:  Petro 
means  stone,  and  glyph  means  a  sign,  so  that  the 
complete  word  merely  means  a  sign  carved  on 
stone.  So  there  you  are,  and  the  next  time  that  a 
passing  gypsy  carves  a  cabalistic  sign  upon  the 
stone  pillars  of  your  front  entrance,  signifying 
that  you  keep  a  savage  dog  on  your  estate,  and 
that  your  property  had  best  be  left  unvisited, 
remark  it  well,  for  you  will  then  actually  be  the 
proud  possessor  of  a  bona  fide  petroglyph. 

And  so  the  Indians  of  the  Antilles,  in  the  days 
before  the  coming  of  the  Spanish  conquistadors, 
had  an  amusing  habit  of  carving  signs  upon  rocks 

153 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

in  certain  of  the  islands  inhabited  by  them.  This 
habit  not  only  provided  the  carver  with  the  whole- 
some satisfaction  that  accompanies  honest  toil,  but 
it  has  since  provided  countless  archeologists  and 
amateur  archeologists  with  the  joy  of  attempting 
to  decipher  the  meaning  of  the  carvings.  This  is 
especially  true  in  the  case  of  amateur  archeolo- 
gists, who  see  the  most  wonderful  significance  in 
the  humblest  carving,  so  that  the  Simon-pure 
archeologist  not  only  has  the  original  pleasure  of 
trying  to  unravel  the  mystery  of  the  petroglyph, 
but  is  permitted  the  additional  joy  of  scoffing  at 
the  attempts  of  the  amateur.  Thus  the  circle  is 
completed,  and  the  shade  of  the  Indian  chuckles 
with  glee  at  the  problems  bestowed  by  him  upon 
those  who  have  come  after  him. 

Chalk  is  the  principal  weapon  of  the  petro- 
glyph hunter  and  is  used  by  him  to  make  the 
marking  of  the  carvings  more  distinct,  so  that 
they  will  show  up  more  clearly  in  the  photographs. 
There  is  nothing  to  prevent  an  enthusiast  from 
adding  a  carving  or  two  of  his  own,  not  necessarily 
by  hewing  grooves  in  the  living  rock,  but  by  the 
more  simple  and  direct  method  of  adding  with 
chalk  such  lines  as  his  fancy  dictates.    But  that, 

of  course,  is  another  story. 
154 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Petroglyphs  are  to  be  found  on  many  of  the 
islands  of  the  West  Indies.  In  fact,  they  are 
found  from  the  northern  limits  of  North  America 
to  the  southernmost  point  of  South  America. 
Naturally,  many  of  them  have  become  obliterated 
by  the  action  of  the  weather  on  the  rocks.  In 
addition  to  this,  numerous  rock  carvings  must  still 
be  hidden  by  the  undergrowth  of  the  primeval 
forests,  or  be  in  such  inaccessible  places  that  their 
very  existence  is  unsuspected.  When  they  are 
found  in  the  open,  the  rocks  with  carvings  upon 
them  are  generally  near  running  water. 

It  is  one  of  the  favorite  theories  of  the  local 
historians  of  the  West  Indies  that  the  presence  of 
these  petroglyphs  indicates  the  existence  of  a  pre- 
Columbian  place  of  worship.  Using  this  theory 
as  a  base,  the  local  authors  as  a  rule  begin  to  write 
of  "Carib  sacrifices,"  "Carib  orgies,"  and  what 
not,  and  make  good  copy  out  of  the  bloodcurdling 
yells  of  the  unhappy  victims  of  this  fierce  warrior 
tribe.  But  probably  posterity  will  never  know  the 
true  significance  of  these  rock  carvings,  nor  will 
it  ever  understand  the  vagaries  of  the  Indian  mind 
which  made  them. 

The  carvings  on  Congo  Cay  are  on  the  rock  at 

155 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the  island.  The  rock 
lies  almost  horizontally  and  faces,  to  the  eastward, 
a  small  island  named  Caravel  Rock.  There  is  a 
large  cavity  in  the  center  of  this  rock,  and  one 
visitor  suggested  that  this  cavity  was  artificial  and 
might  have  been  used  to  store  the  blood  of  the 
victims  of  the  Carib  sacrifices.  But  here  is  another 
chance  to  see  what  a  difference  there  is  between 
cold  facts  and  charming  theories.  In  the  first 
place,  no  proof  ever  has  been  brought  forward 
that  the  islands  of  St.  John  and  St.  Thomas 
were  inhabited  by  Caribs.  In  the  second  place 
Congo  Cay,  bleak,  barren,  hard  to  land  on, 
and  with  no  place  upon  which  to  hold  sacri- 
ficial ceremonies,  would  be  too  exposed  to  the 
neighboring  islands  to  allow  one  to  suppose  that 
a  marauding  tribe  of  piratical  Caribs  would  have 
selected  this  place  for  the  cannibal  feasts.  Third, 
the  cavity  in  the  rock  was  undoubtedly  caused  by 
the  decomposition  of  the  stone,  and  there  are  sev- 
eral rocks  on  Congo  Cay  that  have  cavities  of  this 
order.  It  is  true  that  the  opening  of  the  cavity  is 
somewhat  smaller  than  the  area  of  the  lower  sur- 
face of  the  hole,  but  one  can  readily  see  that  the 
cavity  would  fill  up  with  sea  water  whenever  the 
156 


HOSPITABLE    CONGO    CAY,    ST,    JOHN 


THE    ONLY    LA\DING-PLA(  E   ON    CONGO    CAY 


PRIVATEER    BAY,    ST.    JOHN 


BUILDINGS   ON    CAROLINE   ESTATE,    AND   BAY-OIL   STILL,    ST.   JOHN 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

waves  broke  over  Congo  Cay  during  stormy 
weather  and  that  this  water  would  attack  the 
sides  of  the  cavity  and  make  it^larger  without 
necessarily  enlarging  the  mouth. 

But  to  return  to  the  mainland  and  to  the  sub- 
ject of  sugar,  St.  John  is  not  well  adapted  to  the 
cultivation  of  cane  and  the  manufacture  of  sugar, 
under  modern  conditions.  Because  of  the  present 
cost  of  labor  this  island,  with  its  steep  roads  and 
hills,  could  not  compete  with  sugar  plantations  on 
islands  where  flat  areas  make  the  gathering  of  the 
cane  an  insignificant  item  of  expense.  Even  in 
the  days  of  long  ago  the  collecting  of  the  sugar 
cane  at  the  mill  was  done  with  a  considerable 
expenditure  of  trouble  and  labor.  Wooden  troughs 
led  down  the  incline  to  the  level  roads,  and  the 
cane  was  shot  down  these  inclines  and  loaded  on 
wagons  when  it  reached  the  road.  Many  stories 
have  been  told  of  slaves  who  were  decapitated  or 
who  lost  a  leg  or  an  arm  when  they  were  struck 
by  a  heavy  piece  of  sugar  cane  which  escaped  from 
the  trough  and  came  hurtling  with  terrific  force 
through  the  air.  On  some  estates  it  was  found 
necessary  to  arrange  some  sort  of  cable  tramway 

to  convey  the  cane  to  the  mill.    On  the  summit  of 

157 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

some  of  the  hills  immense  lignum-vitae  posts  are 
still  found  to  which  these  cables  were  attached. 

But  if  the  production  of  sugar  would  not  be 
profitable,  undoubtedly  truck  farming  would  am- 
ply reward  one  who  undertakes  it  on  a  large  scale 
and  the  raising  in  the  West  Indies  of  all  sorts  of 
vegetables  is  a  possibility  which  is  frequently  and 
strangely  overlooked.  The  consumption  of  canned 
vegetables  by  the  well-to-do  in  these  regions  is 
quite  large,  and  the  small  quantities  of  fresh  vege- 
tables that  are  raised  are  in  demand  at  good  prices. 
It  is  a  common  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  tropics 
are  not  suited  to  the  production  of  garden  truck. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  tomatoes,  lettuce,  beans, 
melons,  et  cetera,  not  only  thrive  when  well 
watered,  but  bear  more  abundantly  than  in  north- 
ern climates.  The  raising  of  these  vegetables  on 
St.  John  would  give  employment  to  many,  and  a 
profitable  market  in  St.  Thomas  would  be  assured. 
Another  possibility  is  the  erection  of  tourist 
hotels  on  St.  John.  The  acquisition  of  the  island 
by  the  United  States  should  make  these  popular 
with  the  tourist.  St.  John  should  be  even  more 
popular  than  St.  Thomas,  for  while  St.  Thomas  is 
attractive  because  it  has  a  busier  outlook  on  ac- 
158 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

count  of  the  many  ships  that  enter  its  wonderful 
harbor,  and  because  of  its  magniiScent  scenery, 
St.  John  excels  in  scenery,  and  scenery  attracts 
the  tourist.  Climb  any  hilltop  in  St.  John  and 
look  north,  east,  south  or  west,  and  unrivaled 
views  delight  the  eye.  The  surrounding  islands  of 
vivid  green  serve  only  to  make  more  pronounced 
the  contrast  between  the  pale  blue  sky  and  the 
dark  blue  sea.  Surely  no  other  island  in  the 
Antilles  offers  views  that  can  compare  with  this  in 
natural  beauty. 

But  St.  John  has  other  attractions  for  the  tour- 
ist than  its  scenery.  If  one  is  searching  for  the 
picturesque,  it  may  be  found  in  abundant  measure 
in  the  ruins  of  the  old  plantation  buildings  whose 
walls  and  quaint  staircases  still  exist  in  the  tropical 
undergrowth.  What  can  be  more  interesting  than 
the  exploration  of  an  old  mill  with  kettles  for  the 
boiling  of  syrup  still  intact,  and  of  the  remains  of 
a  "great  house"  with  its  imposing  avenue  and  slave 
quarters  and  kitchens  nearby.'^  Is  the  visitor  in- 
terested in  boating,  bathing,  hunting,  or  riding? 
The  forty  odd  bays  of  the  island  will  repay  a  sys- 
tematic exploration  with  a  small  yacht,  and  will 

astound  one  with  the  variety  of  their  scenery. 

159 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Sea  bathing  here  is  equal  to  any  in  the  West  Indies 
and  excels  that  at  many  of  the  resorts  that  are 
famed  for  this  attraction.  Then  pigeons  and  doves 
are  found  at  all  seasons;  these  make  excellent 
shooting  and  good  eating. 

There  is  no  road  on  St.  John  that  is  more  than 
a  bridle  path;  but  also  let  it  be  said  that  there  is 
no  road  that  does  not  have  features  to  delight  the 
visitor.  The  road  most  commonly  used  by  the 
inhabitants  leads  from  Cruz  Bay  through  the 
center  of  the  island  to  Emmaus,  and  from  there 
to  the  East  End  settlement.  Directly  after  leav- 
ing the  Cruz  Bay  landing  one  ascends  the  hill, 
passing,  in  turn,  Herman  Farm  with  its  extensive 
ruins,  and  Adrian,  another  forgotten  plantation 
which  is  almost  entirely  obliterated  by  the  jungle. 
At  Esperance  a  road  branches  off  to  the  south  coast 
and  to  Reef  Bay.  This  branch  road  leads  over  the 
summit  of  Camel  Mountain,  the  highest  peak  on 
the  island,  and  then  dips  toward  the  sea  at  a 
precipitous  angle. 

Some  half  mile  inland  from  the  shores  of  Reef 

Bay  one  obtains  a  distant  glimpse  of  the  Reef  Bay 

waterfall.     A  searching  glance  is  necessary,  as  it 

is  hard  to  make  out  the  thin  thread  of  water  that 

160 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

comes  tumbling  from  the  heights  above.  The 
rocks  back  of  the  waterfall  are  plainly  to  be  seen, 
however.  It  is  said  that  this  waterfall  is  never 
dry.  Occasionally  it  becomes  so  small  as  to  be 
almost  negligible,  but  it  never  seems  entirely  to 
vanish.  One  is  privileged  to  surmise,  therefore, 
that  in  pre-Columbian  days,  when  the  woods  of 
the  island  were  still  intact  and  fulfilled  their  pur- 
pose in  drawing  water  from  the  clouds,  the  volume 
of  water  passing  over  the  rocks  must  have  been 
considerably  larger. 

There  are  in  reality  two  falls,  but  the  higher 
fall  is  difficult  of  access.  The  lower  fall  is  about 
forty-five  feet  high.  As  the  crow  flies,  it  is  not 
over  one  and  a  quarter  miles  from  the  sea  and 
not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  road.  In  order 
to  visit  it,  it  is  necessary  to  follow  a  dried-up 
watercourse,  and  then  cut  a  way  through  a  some- 
what dense  thicket.  Before  the  hurricane  of 
October,  1916,  there  was  a  small  footpath  follow- 
ing this  water  course,  and  the  ascent  to  the  falls 
was^far  easier  than  it  is  to-day. 

The  lower  fall  empties  itself  into  a  pool  some 
five  feet  deep  and  about  twelve  feet  in  diameter. 
This  pool  empties  its  contents  into  a  second  pool 
11  161 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

about  seven  feet  lower  than  the  first.  The  second 
pool,  in  which  the  water  is  quite  tranquil,  is  about 
six  and  one-half  feet  deep,  fourteen  feet  wide  and 
nine  feet  broad,  and  makes  an  excellent  bathing 
place.  The  water,  filtered  during  its  long  passage 
through  the  hills,  is  excellently  adapted  for  drink- 
ing purposes,  and  it  is  possible  that  the  Indians 
inhabiting  the  south  coast  of  St.  John  must  have 
come  here  for  their  supply  of  drinking  water. 

Around  this  pool,  in  which  bathing  is  a  pleas- 
ure— a  cold  pleasure — one  finds  huge  boulders 
upon  which  are  more  of  the  aboriginal  carvings 
known  as  petroglyphs. 

There  really  are  three  sets  of  rock  carvings  on 
the  stones  surrounding  the  pool,  and  it  is  impos- 
sible to  get  all  three  sets  in  one  picture.  The  most 
elaborate  set  is  found  just  above  the  edge  of  the 
pool  and  the  Indians  seem  to  have  designed  the 
carvings  so  that  their  reflection  would  show  clearly 
in  the  water.  A  few  of  the  figures  seem  to  depict 
a  very  crudely  drawn  human  face,  consisting  of  a 
circle  for  the  face,  with  smaller  circles  or  just 
dots  for  the  eyes,  and  a  line  for  the  mouth.  In 
one  or  two  instances  some  extra  lines  below  the 

large  circle  may  represent  arms  and  legs.    But  the 
162 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

reader  is  at  liberty  to  scoflf  at  this  suggestion. 
The  largest  figure  of  all,  in  appearance  somewhat 
like  a  figure  eight,  or  like  a  sand  glass,  is  perhaps 
the  most  inexplicable. 

In  order  to  give  one  some  idea  of  these  carv- 
ings, it  may  be  said  that  from  the  figure  on  the 
extreme  left  side  of  the  rock,  just  above  the  water 
line,  to  the  figure  on  the  extreme  right  hand  side, 
just  above  the  water  line,  is  a  distance  of  ten  feet 
four  inches. 

On  the  same  large  rock,  a  little  to  the  left,  but 
at  a  much  higher  point  above  the  pool,  one  can 
find  another  series  of  petroglyphs  even  more  enig- 
matical than  those  just  above  the  water  level. 
This  group  consists  of  six  figures,  two  of  which 
represent  somewhat  simply  designed  human  forms 
— strongly  reminiscent  of  the  pictures  chalked  by 
children  on  wooden  fences — and  two  simple  faces. 

On  the  extreme  western  side  of  the  pool  is 
another  rock  upon  which  are  seen  three  more 
carvings.  This  rock  may  well  be  named  the 
**  Archeologist's  Delight."  No  doubt  every  person 
who  ever  has  seen  it,  excepting  of  course  the  origi- 
nal Indians,  has  evolved  some  deep  theory  regard- 
ing the  carvings  on  this  boulder.     Almost  any 

163 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

meaning  may  be  given  to  two  of  the  three  figures, 
the  one  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  photograph  and 
the  one  directly  above  the  carving  that  looks 
exactly  like  a  cross.  It  is  therefore  possible  to 
eliminate  two  carvings  at  the  very  start,  which 
is  far  more  than  would  be  done  by  seriously  minded 
amateur  archeologists  who  would  deem  it  their  duty 
to  explain  fully  these  two  problematical  carvings. 
But  there  still  remains  the  crosslike  figure. 
Can  it  be  that  the  teachings  of  Christianity  had 
penetrated  to  the  New  World  before  the  discovery 
of  St.  John  and  the  Virgin  Island  group  in  1493? 
This  is  to  be  doubted.  Then  were  the  Indians 
converted  to  Christianity  by  the  piously  inclined 
conquistadors.'^  Considering  that  these  same  con- 
quistadors were  responsible  for  the  total  extermi- 
nation of  the  Indian  race  some  thirty  years  after 
the  discovery  of  the  West  Indies,  this  also  is  to  be 
doubted.  Then  why  the  cross  .^^  Perhaps  the  most 
ingenious  explanation  is  the  one  found  in  an  early 
history  of  the  Danish  West  Indies  in  which  the 
author  states  that  the  Spanish  monks  saw  the  other 
carvings  on  the  rocks  and  deemed  them  to  be  the 
work  of  the  Devil.     In  order  speedily  to  overcome 

the  evil  influence,  the  earnest  friars  carved  the 
164 


ad» 


PETROGLYPHS    ON    CONGO    CAY 
Caravel  Rock  in  Middle  Ground 


THE    CAROLINE    ESTATE   HOUSE    AND    PASTURE,    ST.    JOHN 


THE   CROSS    THAT    IS   NOT   A    CROSS,    REEF    BAY,    ST.    JOHN 


INDIAN    PETROGLYPHS,    REEF   BAY,    ST.    JOHN 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

sign  of  the  cross  on  the  rock,  thereby  neutralizing 
all  other  influences. 

But  the  carving  of  the  cross  appears  to  be  of 
the  same  age  as  the  other  figures  on  the  same  rock. 
And  the  suggestion  is  made  that  the  sign  of  the 
cross  has  been  found  in  many  places  to  which  it  is 
positively  known  that  Christianity  never  pene- 
trated. Yet  the  sign  is  there,  and  has  been  found 
in  many  forms,  perhaps  one  of  the  most  common 
of  which  is  the  swastika  sign.  This  sign  repre- 
sents nothing  more  than  the  four  cardinal  points  of 
the  compass,  east,  south,  west  and  north,  and  by  a 
process  of  evolution  first  became  a  figure  resembling 
two  interlaced  S  figures  and  finally  a  simple  cross. 
But  when  challenged  on  the  subject,  we  must 
withdraw  this  explanation  of  the  cross  figure  at 
Reef  Bay.  The  carving  representing  the  cross 
stands  seventeen  inches  high,  and  the  length  of 
the  cross  arm  is  eleven  inches. 

It  is  time  to  turn  from  the  mysterious  petro- 
glyphs  and  follow  the  south  coast,  by  the  Parforce 
Estate,  once  the  property  of  one  of  the  richest 
planters  on  the  island.  Rather  than  use  ordinary 
plaster  for  the  finishing  of  his  walls,  this  land- 
owner had  them  decorated  with  ground  rice  mixed 

165 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

with  some  adhesive  substance;  he  claimed  that 
this  gave  the  walls  a  smoother  appearance.  He 
lived  to  regret  his  extravagance,  when  the  abolition 
of  slavery  changed  his  former  prosperous  position 
to  one  of  dire  poverty. 

The  road  now  mounts  again,  and  after  an  ardu- 
ous climb  the  traveler  reaches  the  summit  of  Bor- 
deaux Mountain,  the  second  highest  peak  of  St. 
John.  From  here  one  seems  almost  able  to  touch 
the  crest  of  Sage  Mountain  on  Tortola,  so  near 
does  this  elevation  appear  to  be  in  the  bright 
atmosphere  of  the  tropics.  The  best  view  of  Coral 
Bay  can  be  had  from  this  peak,  and  the  white 
buildings  of  the  Emmaus  settlement  form  a  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  landscape. 

Descending  toward  the  bay,  the  first  estate 
reached  is  the  Caroline  property,  famous  in  the 
annals  of  the  slave  insurrection.  Here,  it  is  said, 
the  murdered  daughter  of  the  St.  John  judge  still 
haunts  the  rooms  of  the  "great  house."  Emmaus 
is  reached  next  and  one  had  to  admire  the  industry 
of  the  Moravian  Brethren  who,  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  despite  opposition  and  poverty,  were  able 
to  erect  the  large  buildings  that  were  found  here 
previous  to  the  hurricane  of  1916. 
166 


i 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

A  little  further  along,  on  the  road  which  leads 
to  the  East  End  settlement,  the  extreme  eastern 
inhabited  point  of  the  island,  one  passes  the  re- 
mains of  the  fort  whose  garrison  was  massacred 
in  1733.  A  cannon  or  two  is  still  embedded  on  the 
hillslope.  Then  the  road  continues  along  the  south 
coast,  up  hill  and  down  dale,  and  one  has  every 
opportunity  of  admiring  the  extensive  inlets  which 
form  part  of  Coral  Bay,  whenever  the  road  rises 
to  any  height  above  sea  level.  The  pretentious 
farm  of  Hermitage,  with  its  numerous  buildings, 
is  parsed.  This  estate,  like  the  Caroline  Estate, 
is  devoted  to  stock  raising.  Finally,  one  gets  to 
the  East  End  settlement,  whose  inhabitants  live 
their  quiet  Hves  far  removed  from  the  bustle  of 
the  outside  world. 

The  explorer  must  return  by  the  same  road 
until  he  again  reaches  Hermitage.  There  he  can 
take  a  branch  road  leading  to  the  north  coast  of 
the  island.  The  road  to  the  westward  along  the 
north  coast  offers  even  more  scenic  splendors  than 
does  the  south  coast  road,  since  the  island  of 
Tortola  presents  a  succession  of  views  that  delight 
the  eye. 

The  first  estate  one  comes  to  on  going  west  is 

167 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Leinster  Bay,  where  an  excellent  boarding  house 
for  use  by  occasional  visitors  was  once  kept.  The 
storm  of  1916  blew  this  house  down.  The  wonder- 
ful old  mahogany  furniture  that  was  the  envy  of  all 
who  came  to  stay  here  was  scattered  in  all  directions. 

Near  by  are  the  remains  of  the  building  occu- 
pied by  the  only  Masonic  Lodge  on  St.  John. 
One  can  almost  picture  the  banquets  held  by  the 
Masons  when  they  assembled  here  in  the  olden 
days,  when  feasts  were  of  first  importance  in  the 
life  of  the  West  Indian  planters. 

Annaberg,  also  called  Brim  Bay,  is  the  next 
estate.  Report  has  it  that  when  the  slave  revolt 
of  1733  was  being  put  down,  three  hundred  of  the 
rebels  were  found  upon  a  precipitous  cliff  that 
can  be  seen  on  this  estate  and,  rather  than  suffer 
capture,  dashed  themselves  on  the  rocks  below. 
While  an  act  of  this  kind  might  actually  have  been 
committed  by  one  or  two  of  the  slaves,  the  story 
can  hardly  be  true  of  such  a  large  number  as 
three  hundred,  for  the  entire  number  of  the  rebels 
at  large  did  not  amount  to  this  total. 

There  is  an  excellent  view  from  this  road  of 

Mary's  Point,  a  square  peninsula  which  reaches 

out  toward  the  British  Thatch  Island.    The  Nar- 
168 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

rows  between  Thatch  Island  and  the  mainland  of 
St.  John  are  only  a  mile  wide.  In  former  days 
slaves  who  thought  they  might  meet  with  kinder 
treatment  on  Tortola  than  they  had  experienced 
from  their  Danish  owners,  used  to  defy  the  numer- 
ous sharks  found  in  these  waters  and  swim  across 
the  strait.  It  must  be  remembered  that  slavery 
was  abolished  on  the  British  islands  of  the  West 
Indies  in  1838  but  that  the  institution  continued 
its  existence  on  the  Danish  islands  until  1848. 
Thus  if  any  slave  held  on  St.  John  between  these 
dates  managed  to  reach  British  territory,  he 
immediately  became  free,  so  long  as  he  remained 
there. 

Even  after  the  days  of  fleeing  slaves  there  was 
excitement  in  The  Narrows.  Smugglers  did  a 
thriving  trade  across  The  Narrows,  so  the  British 
government  was  obliged  to  erect  a  custom  house 
and  fort  upon  the  isolated  Thatch  Island.  These 
have  long  since  been  abandoned. 

After  crossing  the  peninsula  of  Mary's  Point, 

the  way'arer  arrives  at  Maho  Bay  and  afterwards 

at  America  Hill.    The  estate  house  on  this  latter 

property  is  a  noticeable  feature  of  the  landscape, 

for  it  is  built  upon  the  very  simimit  of  a  hill  which 

169 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

has  the  appearance  of  a  sugar  loaf.  The  hill  is 
some  six  hundred  feet  high,  and  the  ascent  to  the 
house  must  have  furnished  needed  exercise  to  its 
former  owners. 

Cinnamon  Bay  and  Dennis  Bay  come  next. 
Both  were  in  former  days  the  sites  of  important 
sugar  factories.  From  here  the  way  leads  across 
the  island.  At  K.  C.  Bay  are  the  largest  sugar 
factory  ruins  on  the  island.  Here  also  is  a  coconut 
grove  in  which  the  damage  done  by  the  late  hurri- 
cane was  tremendous.  On  the  hilltop,  before  the 
beginning  of  the  descent  to  Cruz  Bay,  may  be 
seen  the  almost  obliterated  remains  of  another 
Danish  fort,  whose  history  no  one  seems  to  know. 
To  the  tourist  who  is  interested  in  old  colonial 
furniture,  St.  John  offers  interesting  hunting 
grounds.  In  the  most  ramshackle  negro  cabins 
one  is  liable  to  run  across  the  dilapidated  remains 
of  the  most  wonderfully  carved  mahogany  four 
poster  beds.  These  antiques  may  be  marred  by  a 
century  of  neglect,  but  the  wonderfully  skillful 
cabinet  makers  of  St.  Thomas  can  easily  restore 
them  to  their  former  beauty.  Not  only  bedsteads, 
but  sewing  tables,  claw-foot  serving  tables  and 
interesting  looking  chairs  are  scattered  over  the 
island.  These  were  probably  given  to  the  negro 
170 


WHARF    AND    OLD    FORT,    CORAL    BAY,    ST.    JOHN 


HERMITAGE    ESTATE,    ST,    JOHN 


CINDERELLA  OF  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

laborers  on  the  estates  when  the  planters  departed 
on  account  of  the  waning  of  prosperity.  The 
visitor  who  picks  up  one  or  two  of  these  pieces 
will  be  able  in  future  years  to  boast  of  them  to 
admiring  friends. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  St.  John,  the 
Cinderella  of  the  Virgin  Islands,  has  her  charms 
and  that  the  exploitation  of  the  island  would  well 
repay  the  original  outlay.  A  suitable  tourist 
hotel,  built  to  entertain  the  traveler  who  is  content 
with  what  the  country  offers  and  does  not  insist 
upon  imported  food,  would  be  well  patronized. 
Let  a  few  young  and  energetic  men,  accustomed 
to  the  handling  of  West  Indian  laborers,  start 
produce  farms  on  the  rich  soil  of  St.  John  and  they 
would  be  certain  of  large  returns.  Let  some 
capitalist  stock  a  farm  with  a  large  number  of 
cattle  of  a  breed  that  will  thrive  in  this  climate, 
and  he  would  be  sure  of  a  profitable  investment. 
Let  the  bay  tree  industry  be  encouraged  by  having 
expert  men  advise  the  planters  as  to  the  best 
methods  of  increasing  the  groves. 

When  all  this  is  done,  it  will  be  found  that 
St.  John,  now  only  a  name  and  a  small  speck  on 
the  map,  will  become  as  important  as  its  more 
prosperous  sisters  to  the  west  and  south. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

WHY  THE  TONGUES  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEIGH'S  MEN  BECAME 
"BIGGE"— A  SUBTLE  METHOD  OF  POISONING— A  JOINT 
OCCUPATION  THAT  LED  TO  MURDER— A  STARTLING  SUC- 
CESSION OF  OWNERS.  PLOTS  AND  COUNTERPLOTS— A 
BLUFF  THAT  SUCCEEDED— A  VISITOR  WTHO  DIED  OF  MORTI- 
FICATION—A CONFLAGRATION  THAT  PROMOTED  HEALTH 
—AN  ABANDONED  ISLAND  RESCUED  BY  DENMARK— A 
SYMBOLIC  TRANSFER  OF  TITLES— OUT  OF  THE  CLUTCHES 
OF  AN  EXPLOITING  COMPANY. 

N^O  record  has  been  discovered  of  a  visit 
to  St.  Croix  between  the  time  of  its  dis- 
covery in  1493  and  the  day  in  1587 
when  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  touched  here.  There  is, 
however,  assurance  that  the  Indian  inhabitants  of 
St.  Croix  made  a  few  visits  to  Porto  Rico  during 
this  period  and  instilled  a  lively  fear  in  the  early 
Spanish  settlers  of  the  latter  island.  It  was  the 
practice  of  the  St.  Croix  Indians  to  go  to  Porto 
Rico  to  manufacture  their  sea-going  canoes,  as 
the  Porto  Rico  forests  bore  trees  of  greater  size 
than  those  of  St.  Croix.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
a  Porto  Rican  chieftain  demanded  that  seven  of 
the  St.  Croix  cannibals  remain  on  his  island  in 
order  to  be  kept  as  hostages  in  ease  of  attack  by 
other  Indians  from  the  same  island.  When  the 
172 


CO-I 


o 
a;  CM 

-a 

o 

C/3     • 


CO 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

companions  of  the  luckless  seven  departed,  the 
Borinquen  chief  promptly  put  his  hostages  to 
death.  Upon  their  return  the  St.  Croix  Indians 
speedily  avenged  the  death  of  their  fellows.  To 
quote  from  an  early  historian:^ 

"They  cut  the  King  with  his  famiUe  in  peeces 
and  eate  them  in  the  revenge  of  their  seven  work- 
men; and  then  they  made  faggottes  of  their  bones 
to  carry  to  the  wives  and  children  of  their  slayne 
workmen,  in  witness  that  the  bodies  of  their 
husbands  and  parents  lay  not  unrevenged,  and 
therewith  shewed  the  faggottes  of  bones  to  our 
men  [the  Spaniards],  who  being  astonished  with 
their  fiercenesse  and  crueltie,  were  enforced  to 
dissemble  the  matter  and  holde  their  peace,  quar- 
reling no  further  at  any  time." 

The  narrative  of  one  of  the  men  who  accom- 
panied Sir  Walter  Raleigh  on  his  expedition  to 
Virginia,  which  paused  on  St.  Croix,  tells  only  of 
the  discomforts  sufiFered  by  some  of  the  colonists 
who  ate  inadvertently  of  the  manchineel  apples 
that  are  found  in  quantities  on  the  shores  of  the 
island : 

**Some  of  the  women  and  men,  by  eating  a 

small    fruit   like   a   greene   apple   were   fearfully 

173 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

troubled  with  a  sudden  burning  in  their  mouths 
and  sweUing  of  their  tongues  so  bigge  that  some  of 
them  could  not  speak." 

It  was  fortunate  for  Raleigh's  companions  that 
some  of  them  did  not  suffer  worse  effects  from  their 
lack  of  caution  in  eating  these  poisonous  fruits. 
Tales  are  told  in  the  West  Indies  of  people  who 
have  died  after  eating  the  manchineel  or  who  have 
lost  their  eyes  because  the  juice  of  the  fruit  touched 
the  pupils.  Many  negroes,  especially  in  the  Ba- 
hama Islands,  have  attempted  to  do  away  with 
their  enemies  by  means  of  this  juice.  A  favorite 
practice  of  the  would-be  poisoner  is  to  place  a 
little  of  the  sap  taken  from  a  broken  twig  of  the 
manchineel  tree  on  the  point  of  a  knife  and  to 
insert  this  point  in  a  raw  potato.  The  potato  is 
then  cooked  and  given  to  the  victim.  In  the 
course  of  a  short  time  a  mysterious  slow  poisoning 
results  which  baffles  all  medical  skill,  since  the 
presence  of  the  acid  of  the  manchineel  cannot  be 
detected  in  the  stomach  when  it  is  given  in  such 
small  doses.  Unless  the  victim  keeps  a  close  watch 
upon  the  preparation  of  his  food,  he  will  ultimately 
succumb  to  the  effects  of  this  subtle  method  of 
poisoning. 
174 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

From  1587  until  1625,  St.  Croix  appears  to 
have  been  unoccupied  by  either  natives  or  visitors 
from  Europe.  History  does  not  tell  how  the  fierce 
tribes  that  lived  here  were  exterminated.  In 
1625  Dutch,  English  and  French  settlers  seem  to 
have  occupied  the  island  jointly.  As  early  as  1645 
the  island  sustained  some  six  hundred  settlers,  who 
were  governed  by  general  officers  appointed  by  the 
respective  countries  from  which  the  settlers  origi- 
nated. This  peaceful  living  together  on  one 
island  of  three  different  nationalities  was  not  to 
last  long,  for  in  1645  war  broke  out  between  the 
Dutch  and  the  English  colonists.  The  Dutch 
governor's  residence  witnessed  the  killing  in  this 
year  of  the  governor  of  the  British  part  of  the 
island,  while  he  was  on  a  visit.  It  is  a  matter  of 
doubt  whether  this  killing  was  accidental  or  by 
design. 

In  retaliation,  the  British  planters  flew  to  arms, 

gave  battle  to  their  neighbors,  and  wounded  the 

Dutch  governor  so  severely  that  he  died  a  few 

days  later.    The  Hollanders  now  elected  another 

governor,  who,  under  promise  of  protection,  visited 

the  British  part  of  the  island  in  order  to  attempt 

to  arrange  matters  amicably  with  the  planters  of 

175 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

that  nationality.  The  latter,  however,  still  in- 
censed over  the  loss  of  their  chief,  saw  fit  to  vio- 
late their  promise  of  safe  conduct  and  had  the 
Dutch  governor  shot  publicly. 

Finding  that  they  were  unable  to  continue 
living  on  the  same  island  with  the  British  without 
being  constantly  subjected  to  hostile  raids,  the 
Hollanders  departed  shortly  afterward  for  the 
islands  of  St.  Eustatius  and  St.  Martin,  which 
they  then  colonized. 

The  French  settlers,  numbering  perhaps  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  most  of  them  deserters  from  the 
island  of  St.  Christopher,  having  sympathized 
actively  with  the  Dutch  during  their  quarrel  with 
the  British,  now  considered  discretion  the  better 
part  of  valor  and  followed  the  example  of  the 
Hollanders  by  leaving  St.  Croix.  Upon  asking 
permission  from  the  English  government,  they 
were  allowed  to  depart.  Passage  was  engaged  on 
a  British  privateering  vessel  w^hich  carried  them  to 
Guadaloupe.  On  their  arrival,  the  French  not 
only  refused  to  pay  the  captain  of  this  vessel  for 
their  passage  but  complained  of  the  treatment 
they  had  suffered  at  British  hands.  The  governor 
immediately  seized  the  ship  and  declared  her  a 
176 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

lawful  prize,  on  the  pretext  that  she  was  an  armed 
vessel  without  the  necessary  government  papers. 

This  left  the  British  in  undisputed  possession 
of  St.  Croix  from  1645  to  1650.  In  the  latter  year 
the  Spanish  governor  of  Porto  Rico,  noting  the 
prosperity  of  the  settlement  and  jealous  of  the 
riches  that  were  found  so  close  to  his  own  colony, 
decided  that  it  was  better  to  claim  St.  Croix  for 
Spain  than  to  have  it  remain  a  possession  of  Great 
Britain.  So  he  sent  an  expedition  of  twelve  hun- 
dred men  to  the  island.  They  landed  at  night  and 
fell  upon  the  unprepared  inhabitants,  slaying  a 
large  number  of  them  before  the  alarm  could  be 
given. 

On  the  following  day  two  British  prisoners  were 
sent  to  their  compatriots  who  had  taken  refuge 
in  the  woods  and  mountains,  to  inform  them  that 
they  were  given  three  weeks  in  which  to  leave  the 
island.  The  refugees  promptly  dispatched  a  vessel 
to  the  governor  of  St.  Christopher  with  an  urgent 
plea  that  he  send  a  fleet  and  take  them  and  their 
possessions  off  the  island.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
the  ships  the  planters  departed,  leaving  the  Span- 
ish in  possession. 

Learning  of  the  disaster  that  had  overtaken 
12  177 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  British  colonists,  the  original  Dutch  settlers 
thought  they  could  return  to  their  old  plantations 
on  St.  Croix.  When  they  landed,  thinking  that 
the  Spanish  forces  had  long  since  departed,  they 
took  no  precautions  to  discover  if  the  island  was 
still  inhabited.  This  rashness  cost  them  dear,  for 
a  Spanish  garrison  of  sixty  soldiers  had  been  left 
behind.  These  soldiers  gave  battle  to  the  invaders 
and  killed  most  of  the  party,  taking  the  remainder 
prisoners. 

The  French  on  St.  Christopher  also  had  heard 
of  the  defeat  of  the  British  colonists,  and  thought 
the  time  ripe  to  regain  their  former  possessions. 
They  accordingly  fitted  out  a  large  expedition  of 
two  ships  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  their  brav- 
est men  under  De  Vaugalan.  Orders  were  given 
to  kill  or  take  prisoners  any  Spaniards  who  might 
be  found  on  St.  Croix.  The  smaller  vessel  arrived 
before  the  other  ship,  and  from  this  about  forty 
men  landed.  These  men  were  ambushed  by  the 
Spanish  garrison  and  all  but  three  or  four  were 
killed  after  a  brave  and  desperate  defense.  A  day 
or  two  later  the  second  vessel  anchored.  After 
waiting  three  days  for  its  convoy.   Commander 

De  Vaugalan,  ignorant  of  the  disaster  that  had 

178 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

overtaken  the  men  from  the  first  ship,  determined 
to  lay  siege  to  the  Spanish  fort.  He  surrounded 
it  and  summoned  the  garrison  to  surrender.  The 
Spanish  chief,  thinking  that  he  had  to  do  with  a 
company  of  adventurers  or  pirates  who  might  be 
in  need  of  provisions,  sent  a  cow  and  a  supply  of 
wine  to  the  besiegers.  This  peace  off ering  had  no 
other  effect  than  to  provoke  another  demand  for 
a  surrender  of  the  fort  in  two  hours,  with  a  threat 
that  if  this  command  were  not  obeyed  a  general 
assault  would  be  made  and  no  quarter  given  to  the 
garrison.  Being  under  the  impression  that  the 
strength  of  the  French  was  larger  than  it  really 
was,  thv^  Spaniards  surrendered  and  embarked  for 
Porto  Rico  on  a  vessel  that  had  been  put  at  their 
disposal,  together  with  their  arms  and  baggage. 

Upon  entering  the  fort,  De  Vaugalan  found 
here  a  few  prisoners  who  had  survived  the  ill-fated 
expedition  of  the  Hollanders.  These  he  sent  to 
their  o\vn  island  of  St.  Eustatius. 

A  sequel  to  these  various  operations  on  St. 
Croix  between  1645  and  1650  was  that  the  expelled 
British  planters  complained  to  their  home  govern- 
ment, and  Cromwell,  noting  the  hold  which  Spain 

was  attempting  to  get  on  the  West  Indies,  decided 

179 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

to  declare  war  against  that  country.  In  1655  he 
succeeded  in  depriving  her  of  the  important  island 
of  Jamaica. 

When  the  French  were  once  more  in  possession 
of  St.  Croix,  it  was  determined  by  the  home  author- 
ities to  lose  no  time  in  colonizing  the  island. 
Three  hundred  men,  under  command  of  Auger, 
who  was  appointed  governor,  were  dispatched  for 
this  purpose.  This  appointment  so  grieved  De 
Vaugalan,  who  thought  he  would  be  rewarded  for 
his  gallant  services,  that  he  died  of  grief  and  morti- 
fication shortly  afterward. 

The  new  settlement  proved  to  be  so  unhealthy 
that  three  governors  died  in  quick  succession,  as 
well  as  two-thirds  of  the  colonists.  It  was  reasoned 
that  this  high  rate  of  mortality  was  occasioned  by 
the  dense  forests  with  which  the  island  was  cov- 
ered. Accordingly,  fire  was  set  to  the  woods  and 
the  colonists  took  to  their  ships  until  the  woods 
were  burned.  The  conflagration  was  a  great 
advantage  in  two  ways,  for  not  only  did  the  island 
become  healthier  but  the  wood  ashes  decidedly 
increased  the  fertility  of  the  soil. 

Shortly  afterward  measures  were  taken  by 
France  which  went  far  toward  nullifying  the  efforts 
180 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

of  the  planters  to  make  St.  Croix  a  prosperous 
colony.  Oppressive  taxes  were  levied  and  trade 
was  restricted  to  the  other  French  West  Indian 
islands.  In  consequence  the  revenues  from  St. 
Croix  became  negligible. 

In  1651  various  French  islands,  including  St. 
Croix,  were  sold  for  120,000  Hvres  to  the  Knights 
of  Malta,  a  French  religious  order  at  whose  head 
was  Louis  XIV.  But  it  was  not  until  1653  that 
this  organization  took  possession  of  St.  Croix, 
"in  order  to  form  an  establishment  in  the  West 
Indies  for  the  service  and  defense  of  Christianity 
and  for  the  conversion  of  the  savages  to  the  Catho- 
lic religion."  On  what  island  these  savages  were 
to  be  found,  history  does  not  state.  It  is  more 
than  probable  that'  the  statement  was  made 
only  to  give  an  air  of  religious  endeavor  to  an  en- 
terprise which  had  for  its  sole  object  the  aggran- 
dizement of  France.  The  Kiiights  of  Malta  were 
to  hold  the  island  for  the  crown,  and  were  not 
allowed  to  appoint  anyone  but  a  Frenchman  for 
governor. 

In  spite  of  this  change  of  ownership,  affairs 
remained  in  a  precarious  state.  So  bad  did  the 
situation  become  that  a  relief  ship,  loaded  with 

181 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

merchandise  and  farming  implements,  had  to  be 
sent  out  in  1657.  When  this  ship  arrived  the 
colonists,  who  had  become  completely  disgusted 
with  conditions,  seized  the  vessel,  forced  the  sailors 
to  do  their  will,  and  proceeded  to  Brazil,  where 
they  established  themselves. 

A  new  governor,  Du  Bois,  who  was  appointed 
in  1659,  accepted  the  post  on  condition  that  he 
be  allowed  to  remove  all  restrictions  as  to  the  com- 
merce of  the  island  and  that  he  be  given  a  force  of 
400  men  to  defend  the  island  in  case  of  an  invasion 
by  the  Spanish  or  the  Porto  Ricans.  Du  Bois 
arrived  in  1659  and  found  conditions  even  worse 
than  they  had  been  pictured.  He  fell  sick  here 
and  was  obliged  to  return  to  St.  Christopher, 
where  he  remained  until  1661  to  recuperate.  Then 
he  returned  with  another  company  of  colonists. 
Prosperity  was  renewed,  thanks  to  his  untiring 
efforts. 

The  wise  Governor  Du  Bois  continued  in  power 
even  after  1665,  when  the  French  West  India 
Company  purchased  the  privileges  and  posses- 
sions of  the  Knights  of  Malta  for  500,000  livres. 
But  even  he  was  not  able  to  prevent  the  French 
West  India  Company  from  enforcing  its  rule  that 
182 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

commerce  was  to  be  restricted  to  French  islands 
and  to  France.  Thus  it  was  not  long  before  evil 
days  again  beset  the  colony. 

In  1670  only  about  two  hundred  settlers,  to- 
gether with  their  slaves,  remained  on  the  island. 
By  1674  affairs  of  the  French  West  India  Company 
were  in  such  a  bad  condition  that  Louis  XIV  was 
obliged  to  take  St.  Croix  over  as  a  part  of  his 
dominions.  For  a  while  longer  the  settlers  con- 
tinued their  existence  under  these  unprofitable 
conditions.  Many  of  them  gave  up  their  holdings 
and  went  to  other  colonies.  Finally,  in  1695, 
when  the  population  was  147  whites  and  623 
slaves,  it  was  decided  to  abandon  the  island  en- 
tirely and  to  join  the  French  planters  on  St. 
Domingue.  The  French  government,  feeling  that 
St.  Domingue  would  benefit  by  this  influx  of  agri- 
culturists, gave  orders  to  abandon  St.  Croix  and 
to  burn  all  the  houses  on  the  island.  The  harbor 
works  were  to  be  destroyed,  and  such  planters  as 
might  refuse  to  leave  were  to  be  compelled  to  do  so. 

Yet  the  French  government  continued  to  lay 

claim  to  the  island  and  resented  any  efforts  on  the 

part  of  other  nations  to  get  control  of  it.    In  1725 

a  report  was  current  in  the  West  Indies  that  the 

183 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

British  had  in  mind  an  occupation  of  the  island, 
and  this  report  induced  Governor  Moth  of  St. 
Thomas  to  urge  the  Danish  West  India  Company 
to  attempt  to  forestall  the  British  and  join  St. 
Croix  to  the  existing  Danish  colony.  He  had  also 
heard  that  some  private  individuals  in  Denmark 
had  offered  to  buy  the  island  from  France,  and  he 
voiced  his  fears  that  if  St.  Croix  should  become 
the  property  of  individuals,  rather  than  of  the 
Danish  West  India  Company,  the  islands  of  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  John  would  promptly  be  ruined 
through  the  granting  of  free  trade  to  St.  Croix. 
He  also  urged  that  if  St.  Croix  were  joined  to  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  John,  both  islands  would  be  the 
gainers. 

In  1733  France  was  urgently  in  need  of  money 
to  carry  on  the  wars  she  was  waging  in  Poland 
and  she  consented  to  sell  St.  Croix  to  the  Danish 
West  India  and  Guinea  Company.  The  exact 
sum  for  which  the  island  was  sold  is  doubtful. 
According  to  Bryan  Edwards,  it  amounted  to 
seventy-five  thousand  pounds,  but  Abb6  Raynal, 
a  French  historian  who  had  every  opportunity  of 
being  better  informed  than  Edwards,  named 
758,000  livres  as  the  price  agreed  on.  Half  of  the 
184 


CHECKERED  fflSTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

price  was  to  be  paid  on  the  exchange  of  the  rati- 
fications, and  the  balance  in  eighteen  months. 
The  Danish  West  India  and  Guinea  Company  was 
at  the  same  time  reorganized  in  order  to  raise 
funds  to  pay  for  the  island  and  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  its  exploitation. 

It  was  not  until  1734,  when  the  company's  ship, 
Unity y  arrived,  that  the  governor  of  St.  Thomas  was 
informed  of  the  acquisition  of  St.  Croix.  Governor 
Moth  was  named  governor  of  the  three  islands, 
and  he  was  directed  to  take  over  St.  Croix. 

Preparations  were  made  at  once  to  go  to  the 

new  possession.    A  number  of  the  settlers  on  St. 

John  who  had  suffered  the  almost  total  loss  of  their 

property  through  the  slave  insurrection  of  1733, 

were  only  too  glad  to  accompany  the  governor 

and  attempt  to  restore  their  lost  fortunes  by  a 

venture  on  the  richer  island  of  St.  Croix.     On 

August  31, 1734,  services  were  held  in  the  churches 

of  Charlotte-Amalia  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 

were  to  leave.    On  the  following  day  the  governor, 

together  with  the  prospective  settlers,  embarked 

on  four  vessels  for  the  island  to  the  south.     On 

reaching  what  is  now  the  site  of  Christiansted 

they  found  the  fort  in  a  comparatively  good  state 

185 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  preservation,  but  the  shore  was  so  covered  with 
a  dense  jungle  that  the  party  had  to  remain  on 
board  their  vessels  until  the  slaves  had  cleared 
land  enough  for  them  to  live  on  with  any  degree 
of  comfort.  On  September  6  the  royal  standard 
of  Denmark  was  hoisted  over  the  fortifications 
and  the  new  governor's  commission  was  read  in 
the  hearing  of  all. 

Not  until  the  beginning  of  1735  did  the  French 
officials  arrive  from  Martinique  to  turn  the  island 
over  to  Denmark.  Imposing  oflScial  ceremonies 
marked  this  event.  Governor  Moth  held  a  parade 
of  his  forces,  and  fired  a  salute  of  nine  shots  for 
the  Danish  flag.  The  remainder  of  the  program 
included  the  snuffing  out  of  a  candle  and  its  re- 
lighting, the  pulling  of  plants  and  herbs,  the 
breaking  of  branches  from  the  trees,  the  tasting  of 
water  from  the  brook,  and  the  throwing  of  stones. 
In  this  symbolic  manner  the  governor  indicated 
that  he  took  possession  of  the  island  for  the  king 
of  Denmark. 

The  first  settling  of  St.  Croix  was  naturally 
attended  with  a  great  deal  of  expense.    A  costly 
survey  had  to  be  made,  and  transportation  for 
new  colonists  had  to  be  provided. 
186 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

In  1734  a  new  charter  was  granted  to  the  Dan- 
ish West  India  and  Guinea  Company  to  take  the 
place  of  the  temporary  charter  made  two  years 
previously.  In  this  new  charter  it  was  stipulated 
that  Danish  merchants  were  to  buy  sugar  only 
from  the  islands  belonging  to  the  Danish  West 
India  Company.  Thus  a  trade  monopoly  was 
given  to  the  company  which  prohibited  ships  of 
other  nationalities  from  calling  at  the  company's 
possessions  There  were  other  concessions  which, 
while  of  benefit  to  the  Danish  stockholders,  proved 
to  be  a  decided  detriment  to  the  planters. 

The  Company's  first  care  was  to  obtain  planters 
for  the  three  hundred  estates  which  it  wished  to 
lay  out  on  St.  Croix.  English  colonists  from 
Tortola  and  Virgin  Gorda,  who  were  acquainted 
with  the  greater  agricultural  possibilities  of  St. 
Croix,  were  easily  persuaded  to  move.  Efforts 
were  also  made  to  get  the  better  class  of  settlers 
from  the  Island  of  Barbadoes.  The  Company  also 
sent  to  Germany  for  a  few  families;  but  these 
proved,  in  the  words  of  Governor  Moth,  "anything 
but  satisfactory,  the  men  being  drunkards  and  the 
women  dirty,  lazy  and  immoral." 

The  directors  of  the  Company  proposed  to  send 

187 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

refugee  debtors  from  Denmark  to  St.  Croix,  but 
the  local  authorities  of  the  islands  were  much 
against  this  step;  they  did  not  think  that  this  class 
of  colonists  would  prove  satisfactory. 

The  survey  of  the  island  was  almost  finished 
in  1735,  but  the  fort  at  Christiansted  was  not 
completed  until  1740.  The  plantations,  as  sur- 
veyed, were  generally  3000  feet  by  2000  feet,  and 
were  sold  at  from  500  to  600  rix-dollars,  for  sugar 
plantations,  and  at  from  120  to  240  rix-dollars  for 
land  suitable  for  the  raising  of  cotton.  The  latter 
land,  owing  to  its  dryness,  was,  of  course,  of  less 
value. 

Soon  there  was  bitter  discontent  on  the  part 
of  the  colonists  because  of  the  restrictions  and 
monopolies  enjoined  by  the  Company.  The 
planters  resorted  to  all  kinds  of  subterfuges  to 
sell  their  sugar  to  ships  of  other  nationalities. 
Smuggling  was  carried  on  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  company  was  obliged  to  erect  a  fort  at  Fred- 
eriksted  to  put  a  stop  to  the  illegal  exportation 
of  produce. 

The  unrest  of  the  planters  was  increased  by  the 
severe  hurricanes  of  1738  and  1742  which  caused 
an  enormous  loss  of  property.  In  1748 — the  year 
188 


Photograph  by  William  H.  Rau 


A    NATIVE    FAMILY,    ST.    CROIX 


Photograph  by  E.  M.  Newman 

DANISH    SUGAR   MILL,    ST.    CROIX 


thuio-^t^^,l\  Dy  L..  .M.  iNcvvinan 


A   SCHOOL  IN   ST.   CROIX 


CHECKERED  HISTORY  OF  ST.  CROIX 

when  separate  governors  were  appointed  for  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  Croix,  St.  John  being  included 
with  St.  Thomas — ^John  Schopen  was  sent  by  the 
planters  to  Copenhagen  to  inform  the  king  of  the 
hardships  which  were  laid  upon  them  by  the  strict 
rule  of  the  Company. 

Finally,  in  1754,  King  Frederick  V  became 
convinced  that  the  prosperity  of  St.  Croix  was 
Ukely  to  be  entirely  ruined  by  the  methods  em- 
ployed by  the  Danish  West  India  Company,  and 
he  resolved  to  take  over  the  colony  and  put  an 
end  to  the  existence  of  the  Company  by  purchasing 
its  holdings.  These  were  surrendered  for  2,239,446 
rix-dollars.  At  this  time  there  were  7,566  slaves 
on  the  island. 

From  then  until  1917  St.  Croix  was  under 
direct  rule  of  the  Danish  king,  except  during  the 
two  short  periods  when  the  British  occupied  the 
Danish  West  Indies.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore, 
that  the  earlier  history  of  St.  Croix  was  turbulent 
and  kaleidoscopic  and  that  its  prosperity  cannot 
be  said  to  have  begun  until  1754.  Since  then  the 
wise  regulations  put  in  force  by  the  successive 
Danish  kings  were  responsible  for  making  St.  Croix 
take  rank  as  one  of  the  richest  islands  in  the  Antilles. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX 

SLA\^  INSURRECTIONS— FREEING  THE  SLAVES— THE  FIGHT 
FOR  UNCONDITIONAL  FREEDOM— TEACHING  THE  NEGROES 
TO  WORK— QUIETING  THE  RIOTERS  OF  1878— DEALING 
WITH  DISGRUNTLED  LABORERS— IMPROVING  INDUSTRIAL 
CONDITIONS— PROSPERITY  AND  INCREASED  W^AGE&-GIV- 
ING  THE  NATH^S  THEIR  DUE— PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF 
THE  ISLAND— REMARKABLE  FERTILITY  OF  THE  SOIL 

^  LTHOUGH  the  planters  on  St.  John  suf- 
/  \  fered  in  1773  from  the  consequences  of 
JL  .Awthe  stern  measures  in  force  against  the 
offenses  of  negro  slaves,  the  settlers  of  St.  Croix 
do  not  seem  to  have  profited  by  this  lesson. 
In  1746  an  incipient  revolt  broke  out  on  the  latter 
island,  but  this  was  quickly  put  down,  mainly 
through  the  efforts  of  a  free  negro  who  was  instru- 
mental in  subduing  the  rebels.  In  1759,  however, 
a  more  serious  affair  took  place  when  a  larger  num- 
ber of  Africans  made  plans  for  w^holesale  desertion. 
This  revolt  was  also  brought  to  a  speedy  conclu- 
sion when  the  conspiracy  was  discovered,  and  the 
most  agonizing  tortures  were  inflicted  upon  those 
who  had  taken  part.  Some  of  the  negroes,  and 
190 


STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX 

these  the  more  fortunate,  were  hung;  others 
suffered  torture  for  from  one  and  a  half  minutes 
to  ninety-one  hours. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the 
treatment  given  to  the  Africans  on  the  Danish 
islands  was  no  worse  than  that  meted  out  to  slaves 
on  the  islands  belonging  to  other  nationalities,  and, 
further,  that  this  cruelty  reflected  the  times. 

As  early  as  1792  the  king  of  Denmark  declared 
further  slave  trade  unlawful.  For  a  time  the  edict 
did  not  put  5  stop  to  the  traffic,  but  it  was  not 
long  until  importation  of  slaves  was  ended. 

In  1847  laws  were  passed  for  the  future  eman- 
cipation of  all  slaves  in  the  West  Indies.  These 
laws  were  modeled  after  those  passed  in  1838  in 
the  British  colonies.  Their  substance  was  that  all 
children  born  of  slave  parents  were  to  be  free, 
and  that  all  who  were  slaves  at  the  time  of  the 
publishing  of  the  law  were  to  become  free  after 
a  number  of  years,  when  they  had  passed  through 
"an  apprenticeship  period."  In  the  Danish  West 
Indies  the  fact  that  this  period  was  to  last  twelve 
years  was  the  cause  of  great  discontent  among  the 
slaves,   for  they  naturally  wished  to  gain  their 

freedom  immediately. 

191 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

To  voice  their  discontent  the  St.  Croix  Africans 
planned  a  revolt  throughout  the  island.  On  July 
2,  1848,  at  an  understood  signal,  the  laborers  on 
the  estates  rose  in  arms  and  most  of  the  terrified 
inhabitants  of  the  towns  took  refuge  on  vessels 
in  the  harbors.  A  body  of  some  three  thousand 
slaves  marched  to  Christiansted  and  demanded 
their  unconditional  freedom.  Upon  being  told  by 
the  commander  of  the  fort  that  the  governor  of 
the  island  was  absent,  and  that  he  had  no  authority 
to  grant  their  demands,  the  rebels  sacked  and 
destroyed  a  number  of  government  oflSces,  but  left 
private  residences  untouched.  The  governor  finally 
arrived,  and,  after  a  short  delay,  proclaimed  to  the 
assembled  negroes  from  the  battlements  of  the 
fort  that  the  unconditional  freedom  they  sought 
would  be  given  them.  A  general  dispersal  fol- 
lowed and  the  Africans  retired  to  the  estates  of 
their  former  owners. 

At  a  late  hour  the  following  night  the  rebels, 
drunk  with  their  new-found  freedom,  made  an 
attempt  to  enter  the  town.  They  became  dis- 
orderly, and  it  was  found  necessary  to  discharge 
into  their  midst  a  cannon  loaded  with  grapeshot. 
The  shot  caused  the  death  of  several  of  the  former 
192 


STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX 

slaves.  The  negroes  were  so  angry  that  they 
scattered  over  the  entire  island  and  began  a 
systematic  destruction  of  the  estate  houses  and 
factories  and  a  wholesale  plunder  of  their  contents. 
No  murders  were  committed,  thanks  to  the  fact 
that  the  planters  had  sought  refuge,  with  their 
families,  in  the  protected  towns  of  Christiansted 
and  Frederiksted ;  if  the  whites  had  been  in  the 
country-side,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  a  general 
massacre  would  have  followed. 

The  authorities  were  now  forced  to  send  to 
St.  Thomas  for  aid.  This  was  promptly  dispatched 
and  Frederiksted  was  soon  defended  by  three 
hundred  men,  while  a  thousand  soldiers  and  militia 
were  stationed  at  Christiansted.  Upon  seeing 
that  the  total  destruction  of  all  the  estates  was 
imminent,  the  leaders  decided  to  march  on  the 
rebels  and  end  the  insurrection.  Because  the 
negroes  were  scattered  over  the  entire  island,  it 
was  feared  that  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to 
carry  out  the  program.  But  the  junction  with 
the  Danish  forces  of  a  body  of  five  hundred  Span- 
ish troops,  sent  over  from  Porto  Rico,  simplified 
the  problem.  Later  a  junction  was  effected  be- 
tween the  troops  from  Frederiksted  and  those 
13  193 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

from  Christiansted.    The  leader  of  the  rebels  was 
captured  and  a  number  of  negroes  were  shot. 

For  a  long  period  the  liberty  of  the  Africans 
proved  to  be  an  unsettling  factor  in  the  economic 
hfe  on  the  ^land.  It  was  necessary  to  pass  laws 
to  force  the  former  slaves  to  work,  for  apparently 
they  were  under  the  impression  that  work  was  no 
longer  necessary  and  that  their  former  owners 
were  now  obliged  to  provide  them  with  all  the 
necessities  of  life.  When  the  governor  announced 
the  freedom  of  the  slaves  one  of  the  stipulations 
of  the  proclamation  was  that  all  old  and  infirm 
negroes  were  to  be  provided  for  by  their  late  owners. 
This  stipulation  did  not  apply  to  those  of  the 
younger  generation  who  were  able  to  work,  though 
it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  persuade  them  of 
the  fact.  In  time,  however,  all  these  diflficulties 
were  overcome.  The  little  plots  of  ground, 
which  had  been  allotted  to  the  freed  negroes  on 
the  estates  of  their  owners,  were  taken  away 
from  them  when  they  refused  to  till  them,  so  that 
the  Africans  came  to  realize  that  unless  they 
worked  starvation  stared  them  in  the  face. 

But  the  unfortunate  island  of  St.  Croix  was 
not  yet  to  enjoy  a  peaceful  existence.     In  1852 
194 


STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX 

another  riot  broke  out,  this  time  in  Christiansted 
itself.  The  beginning  of  the  trouble  was  that  the 
negroes,  for  some  reason,  were  forbidden  to  hold 
their  customary  dances  at  Christmas  time.  When 
this  order  was  disregarded,  an  over  zealous  officer 
of  militia  saw  fit  to  order  his  men  to  fire  a  volley 
into  the  midst  of  the  rebels,  a  number  of  whom 
were  killed.  The  governor  did  not  find  it  easy  to 
convince  the  laborers  that  the  act  was  unauthor- 
ized. The  officer  was  severely  punished  and  the 
miHtia  corps  was  disbanded. 

From  1852  to  1878  there  were  no  differences 
of  moment  between  the  planters  and  their  former 
slaves.  During  this  period  of  quiet  a  labor  act, 
which  provided  for  the  proper  treatment  of  the 
workmen,  was  responsible  for  increased  prosperity 
both  for  the  estate  owners  and  for  the  laborers. 
But  in  1878  a  rumor  was  circulated  in  the  agri- 
cultural districts  of  St.  Croix  that  the  act  was  to 
be  repealed  and  that  other  laws  to  the  disadvantage 
of  the  laborers  were  to  be  put  into  effect.  In 
consequence  of  this  rumor,  there  was  another 
revolt  The  result  was  the  almost  total  destruc- 
tion  of  one-third  of  the  town  of  Frederiksted. 

Stores  and  houses  were  looted  and  then  set  on  fire. 

195 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

After  a  night  of  rioting  an  ineffectual  attempt 
was  made  by  the  laborers  to  capture  the  fort. 
Next  the  rioters  sought  the  agricultural  districts, 
where  they  began  a  systematic  destruction  of  the 
estates  west  of  Christiansted. 

Five  days  later  the  riot  was  suppressed  by 
troops  from  St.  Thomas.  Assistance  was  offered 
by  the  commanding  officers  of  war  vessels  of  the 
United  States,  Great  Britain  and  France,  and  aid 
was  also  tendered  by  the  governor  of  the  (then) 
Spanish  island  of  Porto  Rico,  who  said  that  he 
was  ready  to  send  three  hundred  men  with  two 
mountain  guns;  but  this  help  was  not  needed. 

A  few  Danish  soldiers  were  caught  by  the  rioters 
and  were  brutally  murdered.  Twelve  of  the 
laborers  were  subsequently  court-martialed,  and 
were  sentenced  to  be  shot.  Many  others  were  jailed. 
Soon  quiet  was  once  more  restored  to  the  island. 

Since  1878,  no  further  riots  of  this  character 
have  taken  place  on  St.  Croix,  yet  conditions  have 
always  been  troublesome  and  even  to-day  there  is 
great  unrest  among  the  laborers  of  St.  Croix. 
Until  the  last  day  of  its  rule  over  the  island  the 
Danish  government  found  it  necessary  to  maintain 
a  considerable  body  of  men  in  the  forts  of  Christian- 
196 


STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX 

sted  and  Frederiksted,  and  to  patrol  the  island  with 
an  efficient  corps  of  gendarmerie.  Strikes  have 
taken  place  on  different  occasions,  and  the  St. 
Croix  laborer  has  always  been  ready  with  veiled 
threats  to  burn  the  properties  of  the  sugar  planters. 
What  these  threats  meant  can  only  be  realized 
by  those  who  know  that  the  owner  of  a  cane  field 
is  in  a  constant  state  of  anxiety  because  of  its 
inflammability.  A  cigar  inadvertently  dropped 
along  the  edge  of  the  field  may  result  in  the  de- 
struction of  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  sugar 
cane  before  the  fire  can  be  checked,  especially  on 
a  windy  day. 

During  recent  years  the  editor  of  one  of  the 
local  papers  formed  a  labor  union  on  St.  Croix. 
This  editor  is  seeking  to  better  the  conditions  of 
the  negro  and  hopes  soon  to  start  an  industrial 
school  on  the  island  modeled  after  Booker  T. 
Washington's  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institution.  There  is  a  great  opportunity  for  such 
work  as  is  planned  by  him,  for  it  must  be  admitted 
that,  in  spite  of  the  contentions  of  the  planters 
to  the  contrary,  the  lot  of  the  laborer  on  St.  Croix 
is  not  an  enviable  one  and  there  are  many  condi- 
tions which  need  a  remedy. 

197 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Until  January,  1916,  the  prevailing  wage  was 
twenty  cents  per  day,  but  the  last  strike  resulted 
in  the  increase  to  thirty-five  cents  per  day  for  nine 
hours'  work.  The  percentage  of  increase  may 
seem  large,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that 
many  benefits  which  before  the  estates  were 
obliged  to  furnish,  such  as  a  plot  of  ground,  the 
privilege  of  keeping  a  horse  or  a  cow,  and  medical 
attention,  are  now  withheld. 

When  sugar  was  low  in  price,  as  it  was  during 
the  years  immediately  preceding  1914,  the  St. 
Croix  planters  found  it  impossible  to  pay  adequate 
wages  to  their  men.  These  men  would  work  but 
five  days  a  week,  and,  in  the  height  of  the  sugar 
crop,  when  everything  depended  upon  constant 
work,  they  had  to  be  coaxed  to  work  even  this 
length  of  time.  Since  the  increased  price  of  sugar 
has  enabled  the  planters  to  continue  the  manufac- 
ture of  this  product  with  a  better  prospect  of 
making  a  profit  on  their  investment,  the  laborers 
will  probably  be  paid  more  for  their  work — that 
is,  if  they  give  better  services  for  the  money  they 
are  supposed  to  earn. 

It   has   become   habitual   with   many   of  the 
planters  to  give  their  laborers  a  sinister  reputation, 

198 


STORY  OF  LABOR  ON  ST.  CROIX 

but  it  should  be  stated  that  the  latter  are  some- 
times blamed  for  vices  which  were  brought  here 
when  the  planters,  desperate  for  laborers  to  save 
their  sugar  crops,  imported  a  lawless  element  of 
negroes  from  some  of  the  British  islands  to  the 
south.  The  result  was  the  acquisition  of  all  the 
riflF-raff  who  were  too  worthless  to  make  a  living 
on  their  native  shores.  Naturally  they  have 
helped  to  give  the  St.  Croix  native-born  laborer 
a  bad  name.  Yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
native  of  St.  Croix,  unlike  the  St.  Thomian  and 
the  laborer  on  St.  John,  is  not  a  good  worker  and 
that  he  is  apt  to  desire  pay  for  work  which  he  has 
but  half  performed. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  CHARACTER  AND  THE  POSSIBILITIES 

OF  ST.  CROIX 

THE  HURRICANE  OF  1772— ALEXANDER  HAMD^TON'S  FAMOUS 
DESCRIPTION— SUGAR  CULTIVATION  AND  SEA-ISLAND  COT- 
TON POSSIBILITIES— SUGGESTIONS  FOR  INCREASED  PRO- 
DUCTION—CATTLE RAISING  AND  FINE  HORSES. 

ST.  CROIX  lies  in  latitude  17  degrees,  45 
minutes  N.,  and  longitude  64  degrees,  45 
minutes  W.  The  island  is  about  forty- 
miles  due  south  from  St.  John.  The  meridian  of 
64  degrees,  45  minutes  W.,  cuts  both  St.  John  and 
St.  Croix  almost  exactly  through  the  center. 
Small  sailing  vessels  trading  between  the  three 
islands  are  always  apprehensive  of  the  passage 
between  the  two  northern  islands  and  St.  Croix, 
as  unaccountably  high  seas  will  occasionally  rise 
without  warning  and  these  prove  a  decided  menace 
to  craft  of  small  tonnage.  Only  one  island  lies  off 
St.  Croix,  Buck  Island,  a  rocky  cay  with  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  four  hundred  feet. 

The  island  is  twenty-two  miles  long  and  about 
six  miles  wide  in  the  center.    It  supports  a  popu- 
200 


o 

PS 


xn 


Q 

EH 

O 


« 


fe.  _ 


CHARACTER  OF  ST.  CROIX 

lation  of  about  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  of 
whom  fully  ninety-five  per  cent,  are  colored.  Its 
area  is  84.25  square  miles,  so  that  it  is  more  than 
four  times  the  size  of  St.  John  and  about  three 
times  the  size  of  St.  Thomas. 

Only  the  northern  part  of  St.  Croix  is  moun- 
tainous. Mt.  Eagle,  near  the  northwestern  point 
of  the  island,  having  a  height  of  1164  feet,  is  the 
highest  elevation.  The  greater  part  of  the  island 
south  of  the  mountain  range  is  rolUng  and  the 
extreme  southern  part  is  quite  flat.  On  the  flat 
portion  there  are  a  number  of  lagoons.  Several 
rivulets  find  their  way  from  the  mountain  slopes 
to  the  south  and  west,  while  but  one  water-course 
empties  itself  into  the  sea  on  the  north  coast.  In 
the  rainy  season  these  rivulets  become  angry  tor- 
rents which  seem  only  too  anxious  to  break  their 
bounds  and  damage  the  crops  upon  their  banks. 
In  the  dry  season  they  are  hardly  more  than  a  bed 
of  pebbles,  with  here  and  there  a  small  pool  to 
indicate  that  the  bed  is  occasionally  covered  with 
water.  But,  even  with  these  streams,  the  island 
cannot  be  said  to  be  well  watered  and  a  large  part 
of  the  south  coast  presents  at  all  times  a  barren 
appearance,  cacti  forming  the  prevailing  vegeta- 

201 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

tion.  The  rainfall  averages  31.26  inches  per  year, 
and  the  rainy  months  are  May,  September,  and 
October. 

According  to  Dr.  Taylor's  work,  ''Leaflets 
from  the  Danish  West  Indies,"  the  geological 
formation  of  St.  Croix  is  almost  the  same  as  that 
of  St.  Thomas,  although  less  of  the  blue-bit  stone 
and  more  of  a  fine  grayish  stratified  slate  is  found 
here.  The  western  part  of  St.  Croix  is  formed  of 
tertiary  limestone.  The  southern  part  of  the 
island  consists  principally  of  large  limestone  plains. 

In  spite  of  the  somewhat  scanty  rainfall  the 
soil  of  St.  Croix,  throughout  the  island,  is  remark- 
able for  its  fertility,  with  the  exception  of  the 
area  bordering  the  south  coast.  The  mountain 
tops,  which  in  pre-Columbian  days  were  covered 
with  large  forests,  were  burned  bare  during  the 
French  occupation  of  the  island  and  are  now 
mostly  covered  with  grasses  of  different  varieties 
which  serve  as  fodder  for  the  herds  that  graze 
there. 

There  are  no  harbors  on  St.  Croix,  and  the 

island  suffers  greatly  because  of  this  lack.     The 

contour  of  St.  Croix  includes  practically  no  bays, 

and  there  are  dangerous  reefs  along  the  north  and 

202 


CHARACTER  OF  ST.  CROIX 

south  coasts.  There  is  no  east  coast,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  south  and  north  coasts  meet  in 
a  point,  and  the  west  coast  is  exposed  to  northerly, 
southerly  and  westerly  storms.  Thus  no  safe 
anchorage  for  vessels  can  be  found. 

The  climate  is  good,  but  is  warmer  than  that 
of  St.  John  and  St.  Thomas.  The  statement  has 
been  made  that  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  St. 
Croix  lies  further  within  the  tropics;  but  it  is 
to  be  doubted  if  forty  miles  could  account  for  the 
variation.  It  is  more  likely  that  the  profile  of 
the  island  and  the  fact  that  it  is  not  directly 
exposed  to  the  north  Atlantic,  as  are  the  islands 
of  St.  John  and  St.  Thomas,  has  a  great  deal  to 
do  with  this  increase  in  temperature.  In  former 
days,  because  of  its  climate,  St.  Croix  was  a  Mecca 
for  American  tourists,  and  it  should  be  a  favorite 
with  them  to-day.  Undoubtedly  the  climate  is 
even  better  and  more  equable  than  that  of  the 
famed  Bermudas  or  Bahamas. 

There  are  few  mosquitoes  on  the  island.  The 
ubiquitous  sand-fly  occasionally  proves  to  be  a 
pest,  but  the  attacks  of  this  insect  do  not  occur 
often.  There  is  but  one  variety  of  snake,  and 
this  is  of  a  non-poisonous  variety.    The  sanitation 

203 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  the  two  towns  is  good,  and  of  later  years  there 
have  been  no  epidemics. 

Like  the  other  Virgin  Islands,  St.  Croix  has 
been  frequently  a  sufferer  from  hurricanes.  Even 
the  earlier  records  speak  of  these  disasters.  In 
1772  no  less  than  four  hundred  and  sixty  houses 
in  Christiansted  and  all  the  houses  in  Frederiksted, 
with  the  exception  of  three,  were  destroyed.  The 
sea  rose  seventy  feet  above  its  usual  level,  and  all 
shipping  was  driven  ashore. 

This  was  the  hurricane  which  was  so  well  de- 
scribed by  x\lexander  Hamilton  in  a  letter  to  his 
father.  The  future  aide-de-camp  of  Washington 
and  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  Washington's 
administration,  was  at  the  time  a  clerk  in  the 
counting  house  of  a  merchant  named  Nicholas 
Cruger  in  Christiansted,  and,  though  he  was  but 
fifteen  years  old,  he  was  a  marvel  of  ingenuity 
and  ability.  The  letter  attracted  so  much  atten- 
tion from  admiring  friends  and  relatives  that  it 
was  decided  to  give  him  the  chance  he  longed  for 
to  go  to  the  United  States  to  secure  a  college 
education.  The  letter  is  worth  quoting  here,  for 
it  gives  a  more  vivid  word  picture  of  a  West  Indian 

hurricane  than  does  the  average  narrative: 
204 


CHARACTER  OF  ST.  CROIX 

St.  Croix,  Sept.  6,  1772. 
Honored  Sir, 

I  take  up  my  pen,  just  to  give  you  an  imperfect 
account  of  one  of  the  most  dreadful  hurricanes  that 
memory  or  any  records  whatever  can  trace,  which 
happened  here  on  the  31st  ultimo  at  night. 

It  began  about  dusk,  at  north,  and  raged  very 
violently  till  ten  o'clock.  Then  ensued  a  sudden  and 
unexpected  interval  which  lasted  about  an  hour. 
Meanwhile  the  wind  was  shifting  round  to  the  south 
west  point,  from  whence  it  returned  with  redoubled 
fury  and  continued  till  nearly  three  in  the  morning. 
Good  God !  what  horror  and  destruction — it's  impossible 
for  me  to  describe — or  you  to  form  any  idea  of  it.  It 
seemed  as  if  a  total  dissolution  of  nature  was  taking 
place.  The  roaring  of  the  sea  and  wind — fiery  meteors 
flying  about  in  the  air — the  prodigious  glare  of  almost 
perpetual  lightning — the  crash  of  falling  houses — and 
the  ear-piercing  shrieks  of  the  distressed  were  sufficient 
to  strike  astonishment  into  Angels.  A  great  part  of 
the  buildings  throughout  the  island  are  leveled  to  the 
ground — almost  all  the  rest  very  much  shattered — 
several  persons  killed  and  numbers  utterly  ruined — 
whole  families  wandering  about  the  streets,  unknowing 
where  to  find  a  place  of  shelter — the  sick  exposed  to 
the  keenness  of  water  and  air — without  a  bed  to  lie 
upon — or   a   dry   covering   to   their   bodies — and   our 

205 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

harbors  entirely  bare.  In  a  word,  misery,  in  its  most 
hideous  shapes,  spread  over  the  whole  face  of  the  coun- 
try. A  strong  smell  of  gunpowder  added  somewhat  to 
the  terrors  of  the  night;  and  it  was  observed  that  the 
rain  was  exceedingly  salt.  Indeed  the  water  is  so 
brackish  and  full  of  sulphur  that  there  is  hardly  any 
drinking  it. 

In  1867  an  earthquake  devastated  St.  Croix 
and  caused  enormous  damage  on  St.  Thomas.  The 
town  of  Frederiksted  on  St.  Croix  was  the  prin- 
cipal sufferer  and  the  U.  S.  S.  Monongaheluy  a 
wooden  cruiser  with  auxiliary  steam  power,  was 
taken  up  bodily  by  a  wave  which  lifted  it  over  the 
tops  of  some  coconut  trees  and  deposited  it  a  con- 
siderable distance  inland.  Later  it  was  necessary 
to  dig  a  canal  in  order  to  float  the  ship  to  the  ocean. 

The  last  hurricane,  that  of  October  9  and  10, 
1916,  did  not  do  one-tenth  as  much  damage  on 
St.  Croix  as  it  did  on  St.  Thomas,  though  it 
destroyed  a  number  of  the  smaller  houses  and 
unroofed  some  of  the  larger  ones.  No  shipping 
was  lost  with  the  exception  of  the  schooner  Vigilant, 
which  was  sunk  in  Christiansted  harbor,  and  a 
few  small  sloops. 

St.  Croix  is  essentially  an  agricultural  island. 
206 


CHARACTER  OF  ST.  CROIX 

Of  the  total  acreage  of  51,913,  about  thirteen 
thousand  acres  are  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
sugar  and  about  two  thousand  to  the  raising  of 
sea-island  cotton.  Grass,  fodder  and  other  kinds 
of  miscellaneous  products  are  produced  on  about 
thirty  thousand  acres.  Without  irrigation  or 
fertilization  the  island  can  raise  eight  to  ten  tons 
of  sugar  per  acre,  thus  equaling  what  is  produced 
in  Hawaii  with  irrigation  or  in  Louisiana  with 
fertilization. 

Should  the  estate  owners  become  convinced  of 
the  wisdom  of  using  imported  fertilizers  on  their 
land  and  the  government  arrange  for  a  system  of 
irrigation  which  could  be  installed  at  small  cost 
by  damming  existing  water  courses  and  digging 
small  canals,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
St.  Croix  would  soon  equal  the  record  of  the  island 
of  Porto  Rico  by  producing  twenty-five  to  thirty 
tons  of  sugar  per  acre.  Incidentally,  the  irrigation 
system,  if  installed,  would  convert  into  land  capa- 
ble of  raising  large  crops  of  this  product  great 
areas  which  are  now  unsuitable  for  cane  culture. 
Another  improved  method  to  which  little  attention 
has  been  paid,  and  which  would  prove  of  incal- 
culable benefit  to  the  soil,  would  be  a  system  of 

207 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

crop  rotation.  This  would  restore  the  fertility  of 
land  worn  out  by  too  long  use  in  raising  but  one 
kind  of  produce. 

There  are  three  large  sugar  mills  in  operation. 
These  are  the  St.  Croix  Sugar  Factory  near  Chris- 
tiansted,  the  West  End  Mill,  half  way  between 
^  Christiansted  and  Frederiksted,  and  the  La  Grange 
Mill,  two  miles  from  Frederiksted.  These  three 
mills  produce  seven-eighths  of  all  the  sugar  made 
on  the  island,  eight  smaller  estates  manufacturing 
the  remainder.  It  has  been  estimated  that,  with 
proper  machinery  and  increased  cultivation,  St. 
Croix  would  be  capable  of  producing  100,000  tons 
of  sugar  per  year.  Yet  in  1916  the  sugar  crop 
amounted  only  to  about  16,000  short  tons.  In 
1903,  a  record  year,  the  total  crop  came  to  but 
19,275  short  tons. 

Formerly  St.  Croix  was  famed  throughout  the 
West  Indies  for  the  rum  produced  in  the  distil- 
leries which  were  run  in  connection  with  the  sugar 
estates,  and  ** Santa  Cruz"  rum  commanded  a 
higher  price  than  any  other  on  the  market.  But 
of  late  it  has  been  found  unprofitable  to  continue 
distilling,  and  attention  is  paid  solely  to  the  manu- 
facture of  sugar. 
208 


CHARACTER  OF  ST.  CROIX 

Before  the  United  States  took  over  the  islands, 
the  exporters  were  obliged  to  pay  to  the  Danish 
government  five  per  cent,  export  duty  on  their 
sugar.  In  addition  to  this  they  had  to  pay  a 
considerable  import  duty  when  sugar  was  sent  to 
ports  of  the  United  States.  Now  that  the  islands 
have  come  under  the  American  flag,  a  flat  rate  of 
eight  dollars  per  ton  export  duty  is  to  be  imposed 
on  all  sugar  sent  from  the  island.  Of  course  when 
the  sugar  is  shipped  to  New  York  or  any  other 
United  States  port,  no  import  duty  has  to  be  paid. 
Thus  the  planters  who  export  their  sugar  to  the 
United  States  pay  much  less  duty  than  they  did 
before. 

In  addition  to  enormous  possibilities  of  St. 
Croix  for  the  increased  cultivation  of  sugar-cane, 
the  island  also  is  capable  of  greatly  increased 
cotton  production.  To-day  the  2,000  acres  devoted 
to  this  valuable  plant  produce  the  finest  cotton  in 
the  market,  the  long  staple  sea-island  cotton, 
whose  present  value  is  from  forty  to  fifty  cents 
per  pound.  Cotton  cultivation  has  been  tempor- 
arily abandoned  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  shipping 
the  product  and  the  appearance  of  insect  pests, 
but  it  is  thought  that  if  the  fields  are  permitted  to 
14  209 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

rest  idle  for  a  few  years  this  last  difficulty  will  be 
conquered. 

Attempts  have  recently  been  made  to  grow 
sisal  (hennequin)  on  the  drier  parts  of  St.  Croix. 
Very  likely  this  venture  will  prove  successful,  as 
it  has  been  found  in  other  parts  of  the  West  Indies, 
such  as  the  Caicos  Islands  and  the  Bahamas,  that 
this  fibrous  plant  appears  to  thrive  best  in  the 
less  fertile  districts  and  in  sections  where  rainfall 
is  scant.  Efforts  to  raise  bananas  and  other  fruits 
are  also  being  accompanied  by  a  fair  measure  of 
success. 

Many  cattle  are  raised  on  the  island.  Most  of 
these  are  used  for  drawing  the  wagons  which 
transport  the  sugar-cane  from  the  fields  to  the 
mill.  Thirty  thousand  acres  are  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  fodder  and  for  the  pasturage  of  herds. 

The  island  is  also  especially  noted  for  the  good 
quality  of  the  horses  raised  and  a  number  of  these 
are  exported  to  neighboring  islands.  Thanks  to 
the  importation  of  stallions  from  the  United  States, 
the  breed  is  constantly  improving.  The  influx  of 
a  large  number  of  automobiles  has  not  succeeded 
in  making  the  St.  Croix  planter  lose  his  pride  in 
his  saddle  or  driving  horses. 


CHAPTER  XII 
ON  "THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 

FREDERIKSTED  AND  CHRISTIANSTED— THE  BUSTLE  OF 
STEAMER  DAY— ISLAND  COMMUNICATION,  STEAMERS  AND 
SAILING  VESSELS— THE  ROMANTIC  STORY  OF  THE  VIGILANT 
—ALEXANDER  HAMILTON,  THE  CHRISTIANSTED  CLERK- 
ROADS  AND  MOTOR  CARS— THE  RUINS  ON  THE  SUGAR 
PLANTATIONS— WHY  DEER  ARE  PLENTY— COLLTVIBUS' 
TREE-GROWING  OYSTERS— WHAT  THE  EXCAVATOR  LEARNS 
FROM  KITCHEN-MIDDENS 

THERE  are  two  ports  of  entry  on  St.  Croix, 
Frederiksted  and  Christiansted.  Of  these 
two  towns  the  former  represents  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  the  island  and  the  latter  the 
governmental  interests.  Naturally,  then,  there  is 
more  bustle  around  Frederiksted  than  one  ever 
sees  around  Christiansted,  especially  on  **  steamer 
day,"  when  the  Quebec  Line  steamer  calls  on  its 
way  to  islands  farther  south  or  on  its  return 
voyage  to  New  York. 

Frederiksted,  or  West  End  as  it  is  more  popu- 
larly called,  has  a  population  of  about  three  thou- 
sand. It  cannot,  therefore,  be  said  to  be  a  large 
town.  Yet,  as  it  is  the  depot  of  eighty  per  cent,  of 
all  the  island's  imports  and  exports,  it  does  a 

considerable  amount  of  business   and  the  large 

211 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

warehouses  attest  to  the  prosperity  of  the  mer- 
chants. All  cargoes  and  passengers  have  to  be 
landed  here  in  lighters  and  in  rowboats,  for  there 
is  no  harbor,  and  the  steamer  must  remain  about 
a  half  mile  off  shore. 

The  roadstead  is  exposed  to  storms  from  three 
directions,  the  west  coast  giving  protection  from 
easterly  winds  only.  In  consequence,  steamer 
captains  who  anchor  here  are  always  prepared  to 
depart  at  a  moment's  notice.  They  are  especially 
cautious  in  the  hurricane  months. 

There  are  few  old  buildings  in  the  town  itself, 
the  majority  of  the  larger  houses  having  been 
destroyed  in  the  laborers'  riot  of  1878.  There  is, 
however,  a  fort  in  which,  until  March  31,  1917, 
a  company  of  Danish  gendarmes  was  quartered. 

It  is  only  on  steamer  days  that  one  realizes 
the  importance  of  this  little  town.  The  one  pier 
of  which  the  water  front  boasts  is  then  covered 
with  a  swarming  mass  of  laborers,  boatmen  and 
lookers-on,  anxious  for  a  glimpse  at  the  arriving 
tourists  with  the  latest  styles  from  the  North. 
The  pier  on  the  water-front  suddenly  seems  to 
become  one  enormous  warehouse  with  bales,  bags, 

barrels,  crates  and  trunks  scattered  everywhere. 
212 


it 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 


But  whereas,  in  St.  Thomas,  a  visitor  is  greeted 
by  a  grinning  boatman  and  a  porter  who  makes 
up  in  willingness  what  he  lacks  in  efficiency,  the 
atmosphere  in  St.  Croix,  generally  speaking,  is 
charged  with  surliness.  No  pleasant  greetings  are 
given;  indeed,  the  negroes  one  meets  seem  to  scowl 
at  the  stranger  and  resent  his  presence.  However, 
their  looks  do  them  an  injustice,  for  it  will  be 
generally  found  that  the  native-born  inhabitant 
of  St.  Croix  is  at  heart  good  natured,  and  the 
discourtesy  one  meets  with  is  due  more  to  the 
resentment  of  the  people  because  of  their  condition 
than  to  any  evil  intentions  toward  the  visitor. 

At  the  present  time  but  this  one  steamship 
line,  the  Quebec  Steamship  Company,  calls  at 
Frederiksted.  Vessels  of  this  company  also  call 
at  Christiansted  in  the  sugar  season,  but  only 
when  the  weather  is  very  favorable,  so  great  are 
the  dangers  incident  to  touching  at  the  latter  port. 
There  is  daily  communication  between  Frederik- 
sted and  Christiansted  by  an  automobile  service 
which  transports  the  mail  and  carries  passengers 
for  six  dollars  the  round  trip.  Various  small 
sloops  lighter  the  goods  landed  at  Frederiksted  to 
Christiansted  and  call  at  different  places  along  the 

213 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

coast.  These  sloops  also  make  occasional  visits 
to  St.  Thomas.  The  mail  between  St.  Croix  and 
St.  Thomas  is  always  brought  to  Christiansted  by 
a  small  sloop  which  has  a  contract  for  this  service, 
except  when  it  is  carried  on  the  steamers  of  the 
Quebec  Line. 

An  electric  light  plant  is  being  installed  in 
Frederiksted  and  the  little  town  will  soon  be  illumi- 
nated by  this  means  and  the  kerosene  lanterns 
which  are  now  used  will  be  abolished.  There  is 
an  ice-plant,  but,  as  it  has  not  been  found  profit- 
able to  run  this,  all  ice  is  brought  from  the  Chris- 
tiansted factory  by  the  automobile  which  carries 
the  mail. 

Christiansted,  or  Bassin  as  it  is  more  generally 
known,  is  the  oldest  settlement  on  the  island,  and 
has  a  population  of  about  forty-five  hundred.  The 
town  is  built  around  a  curving  water-front  with  an 
amphitheatre  of  hills  in  the  background.  It  has  a 
picturesque  appearance,  and  this  is  heightened  by 
the  old  forts  and  churches  which  still  remain. 

Successive    hurricanes,    wars,    rebellions    and 

riots  of  the  negroes  are  responsible  for  the  fact 

that  only  a  few  of  the  old  residences  are  standing 

to-day.    During  the  latter  days  of  the  Danish  rule, 

214 


"THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 

the  governor  spent  six  months  of  each  year  on  St. 
Croix  and  a  handsome  gubernatorial  residence  is 
found  here,  which  is  said  to  be  larger  than  any 
similar  house  in  the  Lesser  Antilles. 

There  are  two  forts  in  Christiansted,  the  Sophia 
Frederika  Fort,  which  is  built  upon  a  small  island, 
Protestant  Cay,  in  the  harbor,  and  the  Luisa 
Augusta  Fort,  located  on  the  mainland.  It  was 
to  this  latter  stronghold  that  an  intending  traveler 
who  desired  a  passport  was  obliged  to  go  when 
Denmark  ruled  the  island.  For  his  passport  he 
had  to  pay  thirty-two  cents  if  he  wished  to  make 
a  voyage  to  St.  Thomas,  while  one  dollar  was 
required  if  he  planned  to  go  beyond  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Danish  government.  Although  the 
amount  demanded  was  so  small,  the  tax  on  pass- 
ports brought  a  considerable  sum  of  money  to 
the  treasury,  and  incidentally  prevented  emigra- 
tion of  absconders  or  negroes  who  were  in  debt  to 
the  estate  owners. 

Steamers  seldom  call  here.  When  captains  do 
decide  to  risk  the  dangers  of  the  roadstead,  it  is 
always  in  fear  and  trepidation.  A  circle  of  reefs 
makes  the  entrance  difficult.  Even  when  a  fair- 
sized  steamer  has  safely  navigated  the  tortuous 

215 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

channel  of  the  reef,  it  is  necessary  to  anchor  by 
bow  and  stern,  since  there  is  not  enough  room 
between  the  rocks  and  the  reefs  to  allow  a  vessel 
to  swing  with  the  tide  or  wind.  Experts  say  that 
it  would  be  quite  possible  to  blast  away  some  of 
the  obstructions  which  make  this  anchorage  unsafe 
and  to  widen  and  straighten  the  entrance  through 
the  outer  reef.  If  this  should  be  done,  Christian- 
sted  would  undoubtedly  become  commercially  the 
more  important  port  and  the  trade  conditions  of 
St.  Croix  would  be  bettered  to  an  astonishing  extent. 
There  is  regular  communication  by  sailing  ves- 
sels between  Christiansted  and  Charlotte-Amalia. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  these  vessels 
is  the  old  schooner  Vigilant^  which  makes  Chris- 
tiansted her  home  port.  This  ship,  which  is  always 
pointed  out  to  visitors,  has  had  a  turbulent  his- 
tory. When  built  in  Baltimore,  in  1800,  she  was 
named  the  "None-such,"  and  sailed  under  the 
American  flag.  She  was  first  employed  for  the 
carrying  of  slaves.  Local  history  still  tells  of  the 
days  when  the  ship  carried  human  cargoes  and  of 
the  miseries  suffered  by  the  unhappy  ^Africans 
when  some  two  hundred  of  them  were  confined 
at  one  time  in  the  small  holds.  When  slave  trad- 
216 


"THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 

ing  became  illegal,  the  schooner  was  sold  to  a  St. 
Croix  merchant.  For  some  time  it  was  a  privateers- 
man,  with  letters  of  marque  from  the  Danish 
government. 

In  1825  the  vessel  was  used  as  a  man-of-war. 
A  Spanish  privateer  had  caused  considerable  loss 
to  shipping  by  cruising  in  the  waters  around  the 
Virgin  Island  group  and  capturing  many  merchant 
vessels.  The  Danish  government  was  unable  to 
stop  this  practice  with  the  man-of-war  that  was 
stationed  here;  the  deeper  draught  of  this  vessel 
made  it  impossible  to  pursue  the  small  privateer 
into  the  shallow  channels  in  which  it  took  refuge. 
The  VigilanU  as  the  historic  None-such  had  by 
this  time  been  named,  was  chartered  by  the  Dan- 
ish government  and  a  crew  of  thirty  soldiers  was 
hidden  on  board.  She  cruised  about  in  the  waters 
surrounding  the  islands  until  the  privateersman 
perceived  her.  Thinking  he  had  found  an  easy 
prize,  the  captain  of  the  enemy  vessel  made  ready 
to  capture  the  schooner.  But  as  soon  as  he 
grappled  with  her  the  thirty  soldiers  who  had  been 
hidden  in  the  Vigilanfs  hold  suddenly  appeared 
and  turned  the  tables,  killing  the  Spanish  captain, 

his  oflScers,  and  a  number  of  the  crew. 

217 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Next  the  Vigilant  was  used  as  a  mail  schooner 
between  the  islands.  She  changed  owners  many 
times.  Originally  she  was  a  topsail-schooner,  but 
was  changed  to  a  fore-and-aft  schooner.  In  the 
hurricane  of  1876  she  struck  the  reef  of  Chris- 
tiansted  harbor  and  sank,  but  was  raised  again 
and  was  later  used  as  a  government  packet.  Fi- 
nally, in  the  destructive  hurricane  of  October  9, 
1916,  the  Vigilant  was  again  sunk  inside  the 
Christiansted  reef.  She  was  once  more  raised. 
To-day  she  serves  in  the  humble  capacity  of  a 
cargo  carrier  in  the  inter-island  trade. 

A  visitor  to  the  island  after  hearing  this  long 
story,  naturally  wonders  how  the  vessel  could 
have  existed  for  more  than  a  hundred  and  seven- 
teen years  in  West  Indian  waters,  where  the  teredo 
worm  works  quick  destruction  to  all  woods  exposed 
to  the  sea.  The  owner  of  the  Vigilant,  if  closely 
questioned,  will  admit  that  parts  of  the  vessel 
have  occasionally  been  renewed.  If  he  is  hard 
pressed  he  will  frankly  confess  that  the  only 
original  part  of  the  vessel  remaining  is  a  small 
eight-foot  piece  of  oak  keel! 

Christiansted  prides  itself  upon  having  been  the 
home  of  Alexander  Hamilton  and  the  house  where 
218 


a 

H 


2 

H 


X. 


i: 


LUTHERAN    CHURCH    AND    ADJOINING    HOUSES,    CHRISTIANSTED,    ST.    CROIX 


SCHOONER       VIGILANT       AT    WHARF,    CHRISTIANSTED,    ST.    CROIX 


"THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 

he  resided  is  still  pointed  out  to  visitors.  When 
but  twelve  years  of  age  he  began  to  work  as  book- 
keeper and  general  assistant  to  Nicholas  Cruger, 
who  soon  found  that  he  had  in  him  a  helper  on 
whom  he  could  depend.  Yet  the  clerk  was  not 
satisfied,  as  appears  from  a  letter  which  he  sent 
to  a  friend  who  went  to  America  to  study.  In  this 
letter  he  said: 

I  contemn  the  grovelling  condition  of  a  clerk,  or 
the  like,  to  which  my  fortunes  condemn  me,  and  would 
willingly  risk  my  life,  though  not  my  character,  to 
exalt  my  station.  I  am  confident,  Ned,  that  my  youth 
excludes  me  from  any  hope  of  immediate  preferment, 
nor  do  I  desire  it;  but  I  mean  to  prepare  the  way  for 
futurity.  ...  I  shall  conclude  by  saying  I  wish  there 
was  a  war. 

Less  than  a  year  after  this  letter  was  written 
Mr.  Cruger  went  to  New  York,  leaving  his  business 
in  the  hands  of  the  young  clerk.  He  had  been 
absent  only  a  few  weeks  when  the  boy  wrote  to 
the  captain  of  the  sloop  Thunderbolt  a  letter  which 
showed  that  Mr.  Cruger's  confidence  in  his  clerk 
was  well  merited: 

Herewith  I  give  you  all  your  despatches,  and  desire 
you  will  proceed  immediately  to  Curacoa.  .  .  .  You 

219 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

know  it  is  intended  you  shall  go  from  thence  to  the 
main  for  a  load  of  mules,  and  I  beg  if  you  do,  you'll 
be  very  choice  in  the  quality  of  your  mules,  and  bring 
as  many  as  your  vessel  can  conveniently  contain — by 
all  means  take  in  a  large  supply  of  provender.  Re- 
member, you  are  to  make  three  trips  this  season,  and 
unless  you  are  very  diligent  you  will  be  too  late,  as 
oiu"  crops  will  be  early  in.  ...  I  place  an  entire  reli- 
ance upon  the  prudence  of  your  conduct. 

The  persistent  seeker  after  old  furniture  on 
St.  Croix  is  sure  to  be  rewarded  with  valuable  finds. 
Here,  as  on  St.  John,  the  cabinet  maker  of  former 
days  seems  to  have  taken  a  delight  in  his  craft 
and  turned  out  pieces  which  could  vie  with  those 
from  any  part  of  the  world.  The  objects  are 
generally  made  of  Santo  Domingan  mahogany  and 
are  exquisitely  carved. 

Many  a  piece  of  rare  crystal  also  may  be  dis- 
covered in  the  dilapidated  negro  cabins.  A 
specialty  of  the  island  is  the  old  liquor  case,  a 
polished  mahogany  box  with  compartments  for  a 
number  of  square  cut  glass  bottles  which  speak 
eloquently  of  the  rare  old  wines  imbibed  by  the 
forefathers  of  the  present  planters* 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  St.  Croix 
220 


<( 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 


would  appear  more  attractive  to  a  visitor  than 
St.  Thomas  or  St.  John.  While  St.  Croix  lacks  the 
magnificent  grandeur  of  the  seascapes  and  the 
wild  beauty  of  the  mountains  possessed  by  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  John,  it  presents  a  far  more 
orderly  appearance,  with  its  straight  roads  and 
its  vast  areas  of  cultivated  land.  The  island  is 
laid  out  with  parallel  roads,  intersected  by  other 
roads  running  at  right  angles,  and  the  more  level 
portions  present  the  appearance  of  a  checker 
board.  Excellent  macadamized  roads  provide 
good  facilities  for  motoring  and  are  fringed  with 
coconut  trees.  In  all,  there  are  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  of  good  roads  on  the  island.  There  are 
also  a  few  short  lines  of  narrow  gauge  railroads, 
which  are  used  to  collect  sugar  cane  and  to  carry 
this  to  the  mill.  Of  late  years  this  transportation 
is  being  done  on  one  estate  by  motor  truck,  and 
it  is  likely  that  this  sort  of  vehicle,  so  much  more 
efiicient  than  the  ox-carts  now  in  use,  will  speedily 
come  into  popular  favor.  Motor  cars  can  be 
hired  at  the  rate  of  twenty  cents  per  mile,  and 
there  are  a  large  number  of  these  conveyances. 
But   a    visitor    who    would    see    the   island  well 

should  hire  a  good  horse  and  trap,  for  these  will 

221 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

give  him  a  better  opportunity  of  taking  in  the 
varied  scenes. 

Noticeable  in  the  landscape  are  the  solid  stone 
watch-houses  with  roofs  made  of  the  same  material, 
resembling  sarcophagi.  In  these  the  guardians  of 
the  fields  were  stationed  day  and  night  to  prevent 
the  setting  of  fires  to  the  cane  fields,  and  to  give 
warning  to  the  estate  owners  when  fire  broke  out. 
At  the  sound  of  the  alarm  all  laborers  on  the  estate 
would  come  together  to  extinguish  the  fire  before 
the  entire  crop  should  be  destroyed.  Only  the 
proprietor  of  a  sugar-estate  can  tell  most  effectively 
of  the  dangers  of  fire  in  a  field  of  sugar-cane.  Where 
a  visitor  to  a  plantation  sees  only  a  peacefully  waving 
field  of  green  and  brown  stalks,  the  owner  will 
have  mental  visions  of  an  all-devouring  fire,  going 
through  his  agricultural  wealth  with  the  speed  of 
an  express-train,  jumping  from  one  field  to  another, 
transforming  live  plants  into  charred  stumps  with 
but  a  mocking  semblance  to  their  former  luscious 
stalks. 

Sugar-cane,   when   ripe,   is   one   of   the   most 

inflammable  things  in  the  world.    Under  the  stalks 

there  is  always  an  accumulation  of  trash  and  dried 

wisps  of  the  blades  of  the  cane,  which  act  like 

222 


(< 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 


tinder  when  a  spark  falls  on  it.  For  this  reason, 
throughout  the  West  Indies,  all  locomotives,  when 
passing  through  areas  where  cane  is  cultivated, 
are  provided  with  spark-arresters  upon  their 
funnels.  If  a  fire,  once  started,  is  not  checked 
immediately,  there  is  little  hope  of  saving  the 
field  in  which  it  originated,  and  there  is  every 
possibility  that  it  will  spread  throughout  every 
cultivated  area  of  the  estate  and  even  through 
those  of  neighboring  properties.  Sometimes  a 
disgruntled  laborer  is  responsible  for  such  a  fire, 
and  woe  betide  him  if  he  is  caught  in  the  act  of 
setting  fire  to  a  field.  Dire  indeed  are  the  penalties 
for  this  crime. 

Strange  to  say,  the  laborers  of  St.  Croix  are 
well  pleased  when  a  sugar-cane  fire  takes  place. 
The  reason  for  this  is  two-fold.  In  the  first  place, 
cane  that  has  been  damaged  by  fire  still  retains  a 
certain  amount  of  juice,  and  if  it  is  cut  and  taken 
to  the  mills  for  grinding  within  three  days,  a 
reasonable  amount  of  juice  can  still  be  extracted. 
After  three  days,  the  juice  begins  to  ferment  in 
the  stalk  and  is  valueless.  The  laborers,  knowing 
that  the  cane  must  be  cut  immediately,  generally 
take  the  opportunity  of  demanding  extra  pay,  and 

223 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  owners  of  the  field  are  obliged  to  grant  the 
increase  or  else  lose  the  entire  crop.  The  second 
reason  for  the  laborers'  satisfaction  in  case  of  fire 
is  that  a  burned  stalk  of  sugar-cane  is  far  easier  to 
cut  than  a  green,  live  stalk. 

The  watch-houses  provided  for  the  use  of 
those  who  guarded  against  fire  in  the  cane  fields 
were  supplied  with  loop-holes  for  muskets,  so  many 
of  them  proved  a  good  defense  against  revolting 
Africans  in  the  days  of  rebellions  and  riots.  Brick 
chimneys  of  former  sugar  estates  and  the  remains 
of  old  wind-mills  also  remind  the  visitor  of  the 
fact  that  sugar  at  one  time  was  king  of  the  island. 

Very  few  ** great  houses"  remain  on  St.  Croix, 
although  ruins  of  these  are  plentiful.  Biilowminde 
and  Havensicht  still  exist  to  tell  of  the  pomp  and 
circumstance  in  which  the  former  planters  lived. 
These  houses  are  beautifully  located  about  six 
hundred  feet  above  sea  level.  Other  large  plan- 
tations are  Concordia  and  the  Princess  Estate. 
An  excursion  to  any  one  of  these  will  well  repay 
the  tourist  who  seeks  for  information  as  to  the 
manners  and  customs  on  the  island  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century. 

There  is  good  hunting  on  St.  Croix  for  fallow- 
224 


"THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 

deer,  whicli  are  found  here  in  large  numbers.    In 

fact,  there  are  so  many  of  these  animals  that  they 

do  a  great  deal  of  damage  to  the  produce  patches 

of  the  humbler  class  of  agriculturists.     For  this 

reason  deer  are  not  protected,  but  may  be  hunted 

at  all  seasons.    Venison  is  sold  almost  every  day 

in  the  local  markets.    The  animals  have  multiplied 

rapidly  since  they  were  first  introduced.    They  are 

found  in  larger  numbers  on  the  north  coast  than 

elsewhere.    The  unprepared  visitor  who  happens 

to  be  walking  through  a  field  is  sometimes  startled 

by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  deer  which,  upon 

seeing  the  intruder,  will  beat  a  hurried  retreat. 

There  is  also  good  pigeon  and  duck  hunting,  while 

splendid  fishing  and  bathing  may  be  enjoyed  by 

the  lovers  of  these  sports. 

On  the  north  coast  of  St.  Croix  extensive  Indian 

remains  are  found  on  village  sites  which  were  at 

one  time  occupied  by  the  savage  aborigines.    There 

are  so  many  mounds  near  the  mouth  of  the  Salt 

River  that  it  seems  certain  the  pre-Columbian 

inhabitants  had  here  a  village  of  considerable  size. 

These  mounds  are  located  at  the  very  edge  of  the 

sea,  due  south  from  the  reef  which  is  some  half 

mile  distant  from  the  shore  line.    They  consist  for 
15  225 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  most  part  of  the  large  conch  and  oyster  shells 
which  are  so  typical  of  these  islands. 

When  Columbus  reported  to  his  Spanish 
masters  upon  the  wonders  of  the  West  Indies,  he 
laid  special  stress  upon  the  fact  that  he  had  seen 
oysters  growing  on  trees.  The  explanation  of 
this  seemingly  incredible  phenomenon  is  simple, 
as  any  visitor  to  the  West  Indies  knows.  The 
shores  of  brackish  lagoons  in  these  latitudes  are 
always  fringed  with  mangrove  trees,  whose  over- 
hanging branches  take  root  in  the  water  until  the 
bush  finally  resembles  the  leaf-covered  ribs  of  an 
umbrella.  Upon  these  branches  the  young  oysters 
(Ostrea  Virginica)  find  a  hold.  At  length  the  parts 
of  the  tree  that  are  submerged  at  high  tide  are 
completely  covered  with  the  mollusks.  The 
Indians  who  inhabited  the  Salt  River  district 
seem  to  have  been  especially  fond  of  this  sort  of 
food. 

The  work  of  excavating  in  the  St.  Croix  deposits 
was  far  easier  than  in  the  similar  deposits  on 
Magens  Bay  on  St.  Thomas.  Practically  no  roots 
of  destructive  trees  were  found,  as  the  vegetation 
around  the  mouth  of  the  Salt  River  was  scant, 
owing  to  the  intense  heat  and  the  saline  moisture 
226 


REEF   AT   MOUTH    OF   SALT   RIVER,    ST,    CROTX 


ROOTS    OF   MANGROVE    TREES,    WITH    OYSTERS,    SALT   RIVER,    ST.    CROIX 


ABORIGINAL  POTTERY  VESSEL  AS   FOUND   IN 
THE    EARTH,    SAI>T    RIVER,    ST.    CROIX 


TYPICAL    OLD    WATCH    HOUSE    ON    SUGAR    ESTATE,    ST.    CROIX 


"THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 

of  the  atmosphere.     In    fact    one  wonders  why 

this  region  should  have  been  chosen  for  a  residence 

by  the  aborigines,  since  it  is  one  of  the  portions  of 

the  island  where  the  most  intense  heat  is  found. 

The  expedition  sent  out  by  the  Museum  of  the 

American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  of  New  York 

City,  was  especially  fortunate  in  excavating  in 

these  deposits  a  number  of  entire  vessels  which 

were  found  buried  in  the  debris  of  the  mounds. 

It  was  necessary  to  use  the  utmost  care  in  removing 

a  vessel  from  the  trench,  so  that  the  uncovering 

of  one  of  these  was  generally  undertaken  only  by 

the  leader  of  the  expedition.     It  was  impossible 

to  tell  beforehand  if  the  roots  of  the  smaller  bushes 

here  had  developed  cracks  in  the  vessels  during  the 

centuries  that  the  fragile  specimens  had  awaited 

the  coming  of  the  archeologist.     Frequently  a  bowl 

would   fall   into   numerous  pieces  on  being  lifted 

from   its   matrix.     But   the   accident  was  by  no 

means  irretrievable;  the  pieces  would  be  packed 

together  carefully  and  upon  their  arrival  at  the 

Museum  in  New  York  they  would  be  cleaned  and 

put  together  in  such  a  manner  that  the  breaks 

became  practically  invisible. 

Not  only  are  pieces  of  entire  vessels  saved, 

227 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

but   the    hundreds   of    postsherds   found   in   the 
deposits  are  *' matched"  as  far  as  this  is  possible 
and  are  afterwards  mended.    At  times  surprising 
results  are  obtained.     Occasionally  the  excavator 
will  find  a  fragment  in  one  place  and  a  piece  of 
the  same  bowl  some  fifteen  feet  away.    The  expla- 
nation is  that  when  an  Indian  woman  broke  one 
of  her  cooking  pots  she  would  throw  the  pieces  in 
the  refuse  heap  back  of  her  hut.     Naturally,  the 
pieces  would  fall  in  different  places.    After  years 
of    practice,    the    archeologist    develops    a    good 
memory  for  the  fragments  he  excavates.    He  men- 
tally classifies  these  by  their  color  and  the  thick- 
ness of  the  ware,  and  often  he  is  able  to  reconstruct 
a  bowl  out  of  perhaps  twenty  different  sherds. 
This  *' matching"  should  be  done  first  in  the  field, 
and  once  again  after  the  museum  is  reached.    The 
Virgin  Island  sherds  were  washed  as  they  came 
out  of  the  kitchen-middens  and  then  were  placed 
in  the  sun  to  dry.    Not  only  are  postsherds  found 
in  the  deposits,   but  broken   stone  implements, 
stone  beads,  shell  and  bone  pendants,  bone  awls, 
et  cetera,  are  among  the  hundreds  of  objects  that 
enable  the  archeologist  to  gather  his  data  on  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants. 
228 


(( 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES" 


Perhaps  the  most  important  item  of  all  is  the 
examination  and  identification  of  the  shells  and 
animal  bones  that  are  found.  All  animal  bones 
are  preserved  and  are  sent  on  to  various  zoological 
experts  for  identification.  The  shells  also  are  saved 
and  ultimately  are  identified  by  conchologists. 

After  all  this  has  been  done,  it  is  possible  to 

tell  quite  accurately  just  what  constituted  the 

diet  of  those  who  lived  in  the  ancient  villages. 

It  was  found  in  St.  Croix  that  the  principal  shell 

food  of  the  Indians  consisted  of  the  oyster  (Ostrea 

Virginica)  and  the  conch  (Strombus  gigas).    In  all, 

more  than   twenty-five   varieties   of   shells   were 

found.     Of  mammals,  there  were  the  bones  of  a 

small,  extinct  animal,  the  isolobodon  portoricensis 

and  a  species  of  trichechus  (sea  cow)  were  found. 

Of  birds,  the  Indians  appear  to  have  consumed  the 

puflBn,  the  booby,  the  yellow-crowned  night  heron, 

the  gallinule,  the  crow,  and  a  species  of  extinct 

and  hitherto  unknown  rail.     The  bones  of  the 

green  turtle  were  also  found,  as  were  the  remains 

of  eight  different  varieties  of  fish.     A  number  of 

claws   of   the   common,    light-colored    land    crab 

proved  that  the  aborigines  did  not  despise  these 

animals  in  their  dietary. 

229 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

But  not  only  are  the  shells  and  bones  found 
in  the  kitchen-middens  important  as  evidences  of 
the  food  of  the  Indians;  frequently  they  are  of  the 
highest  zoological  interest,  if  they  belonged  to 
animals  now  extinct. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  St.  Croix  supported 
a  large  aboriginal  population.  There  are  village 
sites  like  that  of  Salt  River  in  many  other  parts 
of  the  island.  Then  the  stone  axes  and  other  pre- 
Columbian  implements  which  had  been  picked  up 
by  tillers  of  the  fields,  and  are  to  be  seen  in  almost 
every  laborer's  cabin  on  the  island,  add  to  the 
evidence  that  the  population  in  pre-historic  days 
must  have  been  far  more  dense  than  it  is  now. 

To  the  tourist,  as  well  as  to  the  archeologist, 
St.  Croix  offers  pleasant  possibilities  in  the  way  of 
excursions.  The  island  has  been  aptly  named 
"the  Garden  of  the  Antilles,"  because  of  its  lux- 
uriant vegetation.  The  wilder  element  of  the 
scenery  of  the  other  Virgin  Islands  is  noticeably 
lacking,  but  St.  Croix,  with  its  myriad  shades  of 
verdure,  is  a  constant  delight  to  the  eyes  of  those 
unaccustomed  to  tropical  vegetation. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
A  VISIT  TO  THE  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

BUCCANEERS  AND  REBELS— A  RULER  WHO  IS  JACK-OF-ALL- 
TRADES— TORTOLA  AND  THE  SURROUNDING  CAYS— WHY 
THE  SAILORS  OF  JOST  VAN  DYKE  DROWN— VICTIMS  OF  THE 
PROPRIETORS— THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF  TORTOLA— THE  DI- 
VERTING STORY  OF  AUDAIN— VIRGIN  GORDA  AND  ITS 
PENINSULAS— ANEGAD A,  "THE  DROWNED  ISLAND"— MEN 
WHO  LIVE  ON  SHIPWRECKS 

THE  early  history  of  the  British  Virgin 
Islands  is  shrouded  in  darkness.  There 
is  brief  mention  of  the  fact  that  these 
islands  were  first  settled  in  1648  by  Dutch  buc- 
caneers who  made  them  a  base  from  which  they 
carried  on  their  piratical  raids  upon  merchant 
shipping.  It  seems  certain  that  Great  Britain  laid 
claim  to  the  islands  as  early  as  1666  and  has  owned 
them  without  interruption  ever  since.  But  how 
the  sea-rovers  came  to  lose  these  possessions  to 
the  British  and  what  class  of  Englishmen  first 
came  to  the  islands,  is  not  definitely  known. 

From  1666  until  1793  the  islands  appear  to  have 
existed  without  any  definite  administrative  organi- 
zation.    Not   until    1773  was  a  court  of   justice 

created  with  a  civil  governor. 

231 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

In  1831  a  plot  was  formed  by  the  negroes  to 
murder  the  male  whites,  plunder  the  islands  and 
seize  such  ships  as  might  be  found  in  the  harbors. 
Their  intention  was  to  carry  off  the  wives  of  their 
former  masters  to  Hayti,  where  they  wished  to 
join  the  citizens  of  this  negro  republic.  As  in  1733 
the  government  of  the  British  Virgin  Islands  had 
helped  the  St.  Thomas  authorities  to  suppress  the 
rebellion  on  St.  John,  the  Danes  now  reciprocated 
by  dispatching  a  man-of-war  to  Tortola  in  order 
to  intimidate  the  rebels.  The  presence  of  this 
ship  was  suflBcient  to  subdue  the  negroes. 

In  1867  a  legislative  council  was  given  to  the 
colony.  Finally  an  ordinance,  dated  May  1,  1902, 
placed  the  islands  under  the  authority  of  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  Leeward  Islands,  they  forming  a 
separate  presidency.  The  commissioner  in  charge 
is  usually  a  physician,  as  the  presidency  is  too  poor 
to  support  a  resident  physician  as  well  as  a  com- 
missioner. Besides  being  administrator  and  physi- 
cian, he  holds  the  offices  of  chief  judge,  recorder  of 
deeds,  et  cetera. 

The  line  between  the  British  and  the  American 

islands  runs  from  the  north  between  Little  Tobago 

and   Hans  LoUik;   from   thence  to  the  channel 
232 


o 
a 


35  .S 

0  ^ 

-i    43 


m 


H 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

between  Thatch  Island,  Tortola  and  St.  John, 
around  the  eastern  end  of  the  latter,  and  thence 
through  Flanagan  Passage. 

The  total  area  of  the  British  islands  is  about 
fifty-eight  square  miles,  and  they  consist  of  over 
forty  cays  and  islands.  They  support  a  population 
of  a  Uttle  over  five  thousand  inhabitants,  though 
the  number  is  constantly  decreasing.  But  few  ships 
call  here  and  the  only  communication  with  the 
outside  world  is  by  sailboat  and  by  motorboat 
from  St.  Thomas.  Those  who  man  these  boats 
are  the  finest  seamen  in  the  West  Indies.  Their 
familiarity  with  the  currents  in  the  channels  be- 
tween islands,  with  the  reefs  and  other  hidden 
dangers,  and  with  the  baflBing  winds  caused  by  the 
surrounding  mountain  tops,  makes  them  the  best 
of  boat-handlers. 

The  climate  of  Tortola  and  of  the  other  British 
Virgin  Islands  is  especially  good.  At  times 
the  days  are  quite  cool,  for  the  temperature 
frequently  ranges  as  low  as  sixty-five  degrees 
Fahrcrieit. 

That  the  trade  of  the  islands  is  of  little  conse- 
quence n.ay  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  in  1914 
the   only  export   worth   mentioning   was   35,201 

233 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

pounds  of  cotton.  The  imports  in  1915  amounted 
to  $41,132,  and  the  exports  to  $32,805. 

The  origin  of  the  name  of  the  island  of  Tortola, 
meaning  "turtle-dove,"  is  unknown.  It  seems 
more  than  likely  that  the  early  Spanish  discoverers 
gave  it  that  name,  but  it  is  diflScult  to  understand 
how  it  survived  from  1493,  when  the  island  was 
first  seen,  until  1666. 

Tortola  lies  in  latitude  18  degrees,  25  minutes 
N.,  and  longitude  64  degrees,  40  minutes  W.  It 
is  extremely  mountainous,  the  highest  elevation, 
Sage  Mountain,  dominating  all  the  surrounding 
land  with  an  altitude  of  1780  feet.  It  is  shaped 
irregularly,  and  is  ten  miles  long  by  three  and  one- 
half  miles  wide.  Of  its  13,300  acres,  one-fifth  were 
under  cultivation  in  1815,  but  it  is  doubtful  if 
to-day  more  than  one-twentieth  of  the  land  is 
tilled. 

The  island  is  surrounded  by  a  number  of  cays 

of  which  the  largest  are  Jost  Van  Dyke,  Norman 

Island,  Peter  Island,  Beef  Island,  Guano  Island, 

Great  Camanoe  Island  and   Scrub  lo^and.     -ost 

Van  Dyke,  which  was  named  for  one  of  the  leac  ers 

of  the  Dutch  buccaneers  who  first  settled  here,  is 

the  most  prominent  of  these  cays,  ha   i-  g  u  peak 
234 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

with  an  elevation  of  1070  feet.  It  is  inhabited  by 
some  three  hundred  and  fifty  settlers,  who  are 
even  better  boatmen  and  fishermen  than  the  other 
inhabitants  of  the  British  Virgin  Islands.  It  is 
said  locally  that  they  are  so  confident  of  their 
ability  as  sailors  that  they  have  never  taken  the 
trouble  to  learn  to  swim.  So,  whenever  there  is 
a  mishap  to  any  boat  from  these  islands,  the 
members  of  the  crew  who  are  natives  of  Jost  Van 
Dyke  are  the  ones  drowned. 

Tortola  has  the  same  geological  formation  as 
St.  John.  It  is  very  fertile  in  parts,  but  is  not 
well  watered,  there  being  but  one  rivulet.  Limes, 
oranges,  and  other  fruits  are  grown.  The  vendors 
of  these  products  go  to  the  markets  of  Charlotte- 
Amalia. 

There  the  local  merchants,  knowing  that  they 
are  obliged  to  sell  their  fruits  before  these  be- 
come spoiled  and  that  Charlotte-Amalia  is  the 
only  place  where  a  sale  can  be  made,  offer  them 
very  low  prices  in  comparison  with  the  prices 
given  for  the  same  products  raised  on  St.  John  and 
St.  Thomas.  The  unfortunate  Tortola  islanders 
are  bound  either  to  accept  these  prices  or  to 
throw  their  produce  away. 

235 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Other  products  which  find  a  ready  sale  on  St. 
Thomas  are  charcoal,  which  is  burned  by  the  men, 
and  is  carried  to  market  in  small  sailing  boats, 
and  drawn  work,  in  the  making  of  which  the  women 
are  quite  expert. 

Another  industry  is  being  developed  by  the 
planting  of  coconut  groves,  and  it  is  possible  that 
these  groves  may  prove  to  be  a  saving  factor  in 
the  economic  life  of  the  island.  In  1904  experi- 
ments were  conducted  for  the  growing  of  sea- 
island  cotton,  but  for  some  reason  these  experi- 
ments were  not  very  successful  and  the  expecta- 
tions of  an  island-wide  cultivation  of  the  cotton 
plants  did  not  materialize. 

There  are  a  number  of  bays,  of  which  Road 
Harbor  is  the  most  important.  While  this  bay  is 
exposed  to  the  southeast,  it  is  protected  from  all 
other  sides  by  an  amphitheatre  of  lofty  hills.  Here 
as  many  as  three  or  four  hundred  sailing  vessels 
used  to  assemble  to  await  the  coming  of  a  convoy 
of  men-of-war  to  protect  them  on  their  homeward- 
bound  voyage,  and  in  those  days,  Tortola  was  a 
place  of  considerable  traffic.  A  number  of  old 
forts  still  bear  evidence  of  those  days  of  prosperity, 
when  it  was  found  necessary  to  protect  the  ship- 
236 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

ping  that  took  shelter  here  from  the  raids  of  buc- 
caneers and  privateersmen. 

Some  four  thousand  people  live  on  the  island. 
Most  of  these  are  scattered  through  the  moun- 
tains, only  about  four  hundred  being  found  in  the 
settlement  of  Roadtown.  This  village,  which 
stands  on  the  southwest  shore  of  the  bay,  is  sur- 
mounted by  the  ruins  of  Fort  Charlotte,  situated 
on  a  spur  of  the  main  mountain  range,  940  feet 
high.  But  for  the  commissioner's  residence  and 
the  custom  house,  the  place  would  be  nothing  more 
than  a  collection  of  fishermen's  huts  with  here 
and  there  the  ruins  of  large  houses  to  tell  of  the 
former  importance  of  the  town. 

At  one  time  Roadtown  was  the  scene  of  many 
condemnation  proceedings  of  captured  privateers 
and  freebooting  craft.  Such  vessels  were  fre- 
quently brought  to  Tortola  by  British  cruisers. 
These  sales  contributed  in  no  inconsiderable  degree 
to  the  resources  and  prosperity  of  the  town.  An 
attempt  to  add  to  this  prosperity  was  made  when 
the  British  proclaimed  Tortola  a  free  port,  in  the 
effort  to  keep  pace  with  the  development  of 
Charlotte-Amalia  on  St.  Thomas. 

The  only  regular  communication  between  Road- 

237 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

town  and  the  Virgin  Islands  of  the  United  States 
is  by  a  small  sloop  which  goes  to  Charlotte-Amalia 
once  a  week  to  get  the  mail.  A  voyage  on  this 
sloop  can  be  recommended  heartily  for  those  who 
are  not  afraid  of  roughing  it  and  who  care  to  enjoy 
a  pleasant  trip  through  the  channels  among  the 
islands. 

Directly  across  Road  Harbor  Bay,  on  the  east- 
ern side,  lies  the  small  and  scattered  settlement 
named  Kingston. 

A  short  distance  from  Roadtown  are  the  Bo- 
tanic Gardens,  as  well  as  the  Experiment  Station 
where  attempts  are  being  made  to  exploit  the 
agricultural  possibilities  of  the  British  Virgin 
Islands.  At  the  west  end  of  the  bay  are  seen  the 
interesting  ruins  of  Fort  Burt.  A  number  of  other 
ruined  fortifications  may  be  seen  along  the  coast. 

Ruined  sugar  estates  are  everywhere,  for  on 
this  island,  as  on  the  Virgin  Islands  to  the  west- 
ward, sugar  cane  was  at  one  time  extensively  cul- 
tivated. 

Good  ponies  are  for  sale  or  for  hire  on  Tortola 

and  pleasant  rides  and  excursions  can  be  made 

all  over  the  island.    The  roads  over  the  mountain 

paths  are  of  wonderful  scenic  interest  and  often 

238 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  A^IRGIN  ISLANDS 

lead  by  precipitous  ravines.  No  visitor  should 
fail  to  take  the  road  which  leads  by  "Anderson's 
Leap,"  named  in  honor  of  one  Anderson  who 
managed  to  land  at  the  bottom  of  a  ravine  without 
breaking  his  neck. 

The  hunting  on  Tortola  is  very  good,  and  a 
yachting  trip  around  its  shores  would  be  a  source 
of  great  delight.  A  voyage  to  Norman  Island 
will  remind  one  of  the  days  when  buccaneers  had 
their  hold  on  the  Spanish  Main.  On  this  cay  are 
a  few  interesting  caverns,  called  the  **  Pirates' 
Caves,"  in  one  of  which  a  chest  of  treasure  was 
once  found. 

No  visitor  to  Tortola  can  escape  without  hear- 
ing the  story  of  a  man  named  Audain  who  at  one 
time  lived  here.  Audain  began  life  as  a  midship- 
man in  the  British  navy,  but,  finding  this  profes- 
sion unprofitable,  he  became  a  clergyman  on  the 
Virgin  Islands.  Later  he  broadened  his  activities 
by  obtaining  a  license  as  an  auctioneer  and  also 
by  building  a  schooner  with  which  he  engaged  in 
the  profitable  business  of  privateering. 

If  half  of  the  stories  told  of  Audain  are  true, 
he  must  have  combined  courage  with  cupidity 
and  hypocrisy  with  heresy.    It  is  said  that  at  one 

239 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

time  he  was  conducting  services  in  church  when 
he  noted  from  his  pulpit  that  a  British  man-of-war 
was  pursuing  a  privateersman.  Hurriedly  dis- 
missing his  congregation,  he  boarded  his  own  vessel 
in  order  to  give  chase.  The  wind  being  light,  he 
made  use  of  the  large  oars  with  which  his  schooner 
was  provided  and  succeeded  in  capturing  the 
privateer  before  the  man-of-war  could  approach. 

He  was  a  great  duellist.  It  is  said  that  at  one 
time,  after  he  had  fired  twice  without  success,  and 
while  he  was  waiting  for  the  pistols  to  be  re-loaded, 
he  walked  up  to  his  antagonist,  saying,  "Some- 
thing between,  something  between,  good  sir;*' 
then  promptly  knocked  him  down  with  his  fist. 
He  finally  wound  up  his  varied  life  as  a  trader  in 
Hayti. 

The  island  of  Virgin  Gorda,  or  the  **Fat 
Virgin,"  as  it  was  called  by  the  early  Spanish  dis- 
coverers, has  never  been  able  to  lay  claim  to  the 
slightest  importance.  It  lies  in  latitude  18  degrees, 
30  minutes  N.,  and  longitude  64  degrees,  25  min- 
utes W.  The  main  part  of  the  island  is  a  rectangle, 
two  and  one-half  miles  long  by  one  and  three- 
fourths  miles  wide.  One  peninsula  runs  out  from 
the  northeast  coast  in  a  direction  almost  due  west. 
240 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

This  peninsula  is  a  half  mile  wide  and  four  miles 

long.    Another  peninsula  runs  due  south  from  the 

southwest  coast  and  is  three  and  one-half  miles 

long  and  a  half  mile  wide.    The  main  body  of  the 

island  has  one  high  mountain,  the  Virgin  Peak, 

with  an  elevation  of  1370  feet. 

The  eastern  peninsula  ends  in  Pajaros  Point, 

a  remarkable  pinnacle  rock.    The  eastern  coast  of 

the  southern  peninsula  has  been  broken  up  by 

some  violent  action  of  nature  into  immense  granite 

blocks    which    are    scattered    along    the    shores. 

Between  some  of  these  bowlders  there  are  large 

pools  which  have  the  appearance  of  baths  and  are 

erroneously  attributed  to  Indian  handiwork.    They 

are,  however,  nothing  but  natural  formations.    A 

continuance  of  this  peninsula  is  a  small  island, 

Fallen  Jerusalem,  which,  because  of  the  presence 

of  these  same  granite  blocks,  presents  the  curious 

appearance  of  a  ruined  city,  this  illusion  being 

especially  noticeable  from  a  distance.     Many  of 

these  blocks  are  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet  square. 

They  appear  to  have  been  hewn  out  by  giants  and 

rest  the  one  upon  the  other  in  the  haphazard  order 

so  often  found  in  such  freaks  of  nature. 

The  island  is   very  close  to  Tor  tola,   Drake 
16  241 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Channel  being  but  four  and  one-half  miles  wide 
between  Virgin  Gorda  and  Reef  Island,  the  latter 
lying  off  Tortola.  It  is  badly  watered,  there  being 
but  two  small  wells  on  the  entire  island  and 
absolutely  no  rivulets.  An  abandoned  copper 
mine  is  pointed  out  to  visitors,  and  there  are  said 
to  be  gold  and  silver  on  the  island. 

The  total  number  of  inhabitants  of  Virgin 
Gorda  is  but  417.  The  majority  of  these  people 
live  in  the  small  settlement  called  Spanishtown. 
They  make  a  precarious  living  by  raising  vege- 
tables and  stock  and  the  producing  of  charcoal 
for  the  St.  Thomas  market.  Owing  to  its  unpro- 
ductiveness. Virgin  Gorda  was  never  densely 
populated,  though  it  was  at  one  time  fortified 
because  of  its  strategic  position,  controlling  as  it 
does  the  channels  leading  to  the  other  Virgin 
Islands. 

The  island  of  Anegada,  the  loneliest  outpost 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  lies  14  miles  due  north 
of  Virgin  Gorda.  It  is  situated  in  latitudel 8  degrees, 
45  minutes  N.,  and  longitude  64  degrees,  20  minutes 
W.,  and  has  a  length  of  nine  miles  and  a  breadth 
of  from  one  to  two  miles.  The  total  area  is  thirteen 
square  miles.  In  most  places  it  has  an  elevation 
242 


■<^ 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  but  thirty  feet,  and  its  highest  point  is  only 
sixty  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  Anegada  coast  has  always  been  known  as  a 
most  dangerous  spot  for  ships.  In  the  days  when 
St.  Thomas  was  one  of  the  busiest  ports  of  the 
West  Indies,  Anegada  had  more  wrecks  in  two 
years  than  those  two  dreaded  localities  on  the 
American  coast,  Cape  Race  and  Sable  Island,  can 
now  claim  in  thirty-six  months.  Tides  and  currents 
are  nowhere  in  the  West  Indies  as  swift  as  they 
are  here  and  in  few  spots  in  the  Seven  Seas  are 
there  so  many  reefs  and  hidden  dangers.  Occasion- 
ally mariners  can  hardly  see  the  island  owing  to  the 
mist  caused  by  spray  which  forms  when  the  great 
waves  dash  against  the  cliffs.  This  mist  hangs 
over  the  island  and  often  hides  it  completely.  It 
is  from  this  fact  that  Anegada  derived  its  Spanish 
name,  "Drowned  Island." 

Anegada  is  of  tertiary  limestone  formation, 
over  a  core  of  volcanic  origin.  It  is  covered  mostly 
with  brushwood.  The  numerous  large  salt  water 
lagoons  are  visited  at  certain  seasons  by  thousands 
of  flamingoes,  which  come  here  during  the  rainy 
season  when  their  accustomed  haunts  on  the  Ori- 
noco   River    in    South    America    are    inundated 

243 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

and  they  must  go  elsewhere  in  search  of  food. 

There  are  no  rivulets  on  Anegada.  Water  is 
obtained  from  two  curious  water  holes  named 
"The  Wells"  on  the  northeast  coast  of  the  island, 
but  the  inhabitants  prefer  to  drink  the  rain  water 
which  they  catch  in  their  cisterns.  They  make 
use  of  the  fresh  water  from  The  Wells  for  the  cul- 
tivation of  crops.  These  curious  water  holes  have 
a  mouth  from  ten  to  twenty -five  feet  in  diameter 
and  a  funnel-shaped  formation.  They  are  very 
deep,  and  the  surface  rises  and  falls  with  the  tide. 
The  water  in  them  is  not  only  fresh,  but  it  is  also 
colder  than  the  sea  water. 

Anegada  was  the  first  settled  of  all  the  Virgin 
Islands  and  was  a  favorite  resort  of  buccaneers 
and  filibusterers.  These  undesirable  subjects  were 
driven  off  by  two  successive  naval  expeditions  sent 
out  by  Henry  Morgan  when  this  former  buccaneer 
became  governor  of  Jamaica  and  waged  relentless 
war  upon  his  erstwhile  companions.  The  buc- 
caneers were  then  replaced  by  settlers  who  lived 
on  the  booty  saved  from  the  ships  wrecked  here. 
In  fact,  they  made  so  much  in  this  way  that  they 
gave  but  scant  time  to  agriculture  or  to  stock- 
raising.  In  earlier  days  these  wreckers  did  not 
244 


VISIT  TO  BRITISH  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

hesitate  to  murder  the  crews  of  the  unfortunate 
ships  that  struck  on  the  island  and  they  made  no 
effort  to  rescue  the  drowning. 

These  conditions  have  now  changed,  for  severe 
penalties  are  meted  out  by  the  Tortola  govern- 
ment. The  Anegadians  still  have  a  tendency  to 
lay  pilfering  fingers  on  any  unfortunate  ship  that 
goes  aground  here,  but  there  is  no  actual  violence. 

The  island  has  poor  agricultural  possibilities. 
The  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine  inhabitants  are 
all  of  them  black  or  colored.  They  raise  a  certain 
amount  of  stock  and  vegetables,  but  spend  their 
time  mostly  in  an  anxious  lookout  for  shipwrecks. 
Most  of  their  houses  and  huts  are  built  from  the 
timbers  and  other  remains  of  vessels  that  found  a 
last  resting  place  on  the  island.  Numbers  of  the 
wrecks  are  still  to  be  seen  on  the  surrounding  reefs. 

There  are  said  to  be  copper  and  silver  ore 
deposits  on  the  island,  but  none  of  these  are  worked. 
A  quantity  of  buried  pirate  treasure  is  also  sup- 
posed to  exist  here. 

Many  snakes  and  a  poisonous  variety  of  wasp 
disturb  the  otherwise  peaceful  existence  of  the 
inhabitants. 

It  is  an  interesting  archeological  fact  that  even 

245 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Anegada  supported  a  large  aboriginal  population 
Numerous  deposits  of  large  extent,  consisting 
mostly  of  conch  shells,  are  found  upon  the  east 
end  of  the  island  and  around  the  shores  of  the 
lagoons.  These  deposits  go  to  prove  that  the 
Indians,  even  if  they  did  not  come  here  for  any 
permanent  settlement,  at  least  visited  the  place 
to  obtain  a  supply  of  shell  food. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
HINTS  FOR  THE  TOURIST 

THE  CLOTHING  A  MAN  SHOULD  CARRY  WITH  HIM— WHAT 
THE  WOMAN  VISITOR  NEEDS— WHY  SILKS  ARE  USELESS- 
ROUTES  AND  RATES  OF  FARE— HOTELS  AND  BOARDING 
HOUSES— OTHER  ADVANTAGES— THE  LAND  WHERE  SOUVE- 
NIRS ARE  UNKNOWN 

THE  tourist  who  intends  to  pay  a  visit  to 
the  Virgin  Islands  naturally  desires  to 
learn  a  number  of  facts  pertaining  to 
them  before  beginning  his  voyage. 

Perhaps  the  first  matter  on  which  information 
is  desired  is  suitable  clothing.  The  male  tourist 
need  have  little  diflBculty  here.  If  he  will  provide 
himself  with  the  same  underwear  he  is  accustomed 
to  wear  in  summer  in  the  United  States  and  a 
number  of  Palm  Beach  suits,  he  will  find  himself 
comfortable  under  all  circumstances.  Pith  helmets 
are  not  needed,  as  the  heat  of  the  sun  is  not  great 
enough  to  warrant  the  use  of  these  clumsy  contriv- 
ances. An  ordinary  wide-brimmed  panama  or 
straw  hat  will  fill  every  need.  Stiff  collars  are,  in 
the  daytime,  out  of  place;  the  use  of  soft  collars  or 
of  shirts  with  rolling  collars  is  recommended.     In 

247 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

the  evening  warmer  clothes  should  be  worn. 
Either  light  flannels  or  light  serge  will  oflFset  the 
chill  which  sometimes  is  felt  at  night. 

The  tourist  should,  by  all  means,  take  his 
evening  clothes  with  him,  as  he  will  have  many 
opportunities  to  use  his  dinner  jacket  or  his 
formal  dress  suit.  As  to  footwear,  it  will  not  be 
found  necessary  to  carry  along  anything  more  than 
the  usual  supply.  White  canvas  shoes  with  rubber 
heels  will  be  found  more  satisfactory  than  buck- 
skin shoes,  for  they  are  cooler  and  they  are  less 
apt  to  be  spoiled  by  the  well-meaning  but  often 
unskilful  shoe-cleaners  at  the  hotels  and  on  ship- 
board. Leather  soles  will  be  found  more  durable 
and  less  heating  than  rubber  soles. 

Another  need  is  a  light  cravenette  raincoat, 
for  this  will  be  useful  on  rainy  days.  A  rubber 
coat  is  not  recommended,  since  this  is  liable  to 
crack  after  a  short  sojourn  in  the  tropics;  all  pre- 
pared rubber  goods  have  a  short  life  south  of  the 
twenty-third  degree  of  latitude. 

The  tourist  who  visits  the  islands  with  the  idea 
of  going  in  for  hunting,  boating  or  riding  should 
by  all  means  bring  light  khaki  clothes,  which  will 

be  found  serviceable  and  will  give  good  wear.    For 

248 


BLUEBEARDS    CASTLE    AT    TOP    OF    LUCHETTI  S    HILL,     CHARLOTTE-AMALIA, 

ST.    THOMAS 


THE    BARRACKS,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


thotograph  by  \\  illiam  H.  Kau 

IN   THE    MARKET    PLACE,    CHARLOTTE- AM  ALIA 


HINTS  FOR  THE  TOURIST 

these  sports,  heavy  boots  are  also  recommended, 
as  the  thorns  and  sharp  stones  will  quickly  destroy 
the  lighter  kind.  Bathing  suits  should  not  be 
forgotten  if  the  visitor  is  a  lover  of  this  sport,  for 
which  he  can  find  every  opportunity. 

It  is  more  diflScult  to  advise  women  tourists 
as  to  the  clothes  they  ought  to  carry  with  them, 
but  one  word  of  advice  may  not  be  taken  amiss. 
Do  not  bring  gowns  made  of  silk.  Dresses  of  this 
material  will  look  all  right  for  a  time,  but  after  a 
few  weeks  they  will  suddenly  split  everywhere 
they  have  been  folded.  This  is  another  of  the 
mysteries  of  a  tropical  climate  which  many  a  visitor 
has  found  out  to  her  cost.  Plenty  of  washable 
gowns  and  dresses,  of  linen  and  other  like  material, 
will  be  found  best  for  daytime  wear.  Laundresses 
on  the  island  are  experienced,  careful  and  inexpen- 
sive. For  the  evenings  gowns  made  of  crepe  de 
chine,  organdie,  et  cetera,  will  be  best. 

The  next  important  question  is  how  to  reach 

the  islands.    The  Quebec  Steamship  Company  has 

a  fleet  of  three  steamers  under  the  British    flag 

which    call,    approximately,    bi-monthly    at    St. 

Thomas  and  St.  Croix  on  their  way  from  New 

York  to  ports  of  the  Leeward  Islands.    The  fare 

249 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

from  New  York  to  St.  Thomas  is  $70  each  way, 
and  the  passage  takes  from  five  and  one-half  to 
SIX  days.  The  largest  ship  of  these  three  vessels, 
the  Guiana,  is  quite  comfortable.  The  food  sup- 
plied is  good,  while  there  are  ample  cabin  accom- 
modations and  plenty  of  deck  room.  The  other 
two  vessels  of  this  line  are  not  recommended, 
except  to  travelers  who  have  no  objection  to  rough- 
ing it.  This  is  the  only  steamship  company  which 
sails  from  New  York  direct  to  the  islands. 

Another  way  to  reach  St.  Thomas  is  by  taking 
one  of  the  two  steamship  lines  which  sail  from  New 
York  to  Porto  Rico.  Of  these  two  lines,  the  New 
York  and  Porto  Rico  Steamship  Company  has 
larger  steamers  than  the  Red  D  Line.  Both  are 
under  the  American  flag,  and  the  vessels  of  both 
are  very  comfortable  and  their  owners  take  the 
utmost  pains  to  satisfy  their  patrons.  The  New 
York  and  Porto  Rico  Steamship  Company  has 
three  vessels  on  the  New  York  to  San  Juan  route 
which  leave  New  York  on  Saturdays  and  reach 
San  Juan  Wednesday  afternoon  or  Thursday  morn- 
ing. The  fare  depends  upon  the  accommodations 
one  selects,  varying  from  $45  to  $65.    In  San  Juan 

one  can  connect  with  the  inter-island  steamer  of 

250 


HINTS  FOR  THE  TOURIST 

the  Bull-Insular  Line  which  makes  a  fortnightly 
trip  to  St.  Thomas,  leaving  San  Juan  Thursday- 
night  and  reaching  Charlotte-Amalia  the  next 
Friday  morning  at  daybreak.  The  fare  on  this 
little  steamer  for  the  night  trip  is  $15.  WTiile  the 
accommodations  are  somewhat  cramped,  they  are 
clean  and  the  trip  is  of  but  eight  hours  duration. 
The  Carmen,  a  small  motor  vessel  which  has  a 
contract  for  the  carrying  of  the  mails,  also  con- 
nects Porto  Rico  with  St.  Thomas.  It  leaves 
Fajardo  every  Friday  morning  for  Charlotte- 
Amalia.  A  line  of  motor  buses  connects  San  Juan 
and  Fajardo,  so  that  one  is  not  obliged  to  spend 
the  night  in  this  village.  The  entire  trip  does  not 
take  over  eight  hours  in  all,  being  two  hours  from 
San  Juan  to  Fajardo  and  six  hours  at  sea  from 
Fajardo  to  Charlotte-Amalia.  This  cannot  be 
recommended,  however,  as  accommodations  for 
passengers  are  limited  to  benches  in  the  cabin. 
The  fare  on  this  vessel  is  $10;  but  $5  extra  must 
be  paid  for  the  motor  trip  from  San  Juan  to 
Fajardo. 

Two  of  the  steamers  of  the  Red  D  Line  are  on 
the  New  York-San  Juan  route.  They  leave  New 
York  every  other  Wednesday  and  reach  San  Juan 

251 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

Monday  afternoon.  From  San  Juan  to  St.  Thomas 
the  same  connections  as  those  noted  above  have 
to  be  made.  The  other  two  ships  of  this  company 
leave  New  York  on  the  intervening  Wednesdays 
and  go  direct  to  Mayaguez,  on  the  west  coast  of 
Porto  Rico.  From  there  one  can  take  the  railroad 
to  San  Juan  to  make  connections  for  St.  Thomas 
and  the  other  Virgin  Islands.  The  fare  on  the 
Red  D  Line  is  from  $45  to  $55,  according  to 
accommodations. 

There  is  a  noticeable  lack  of  suitable  com- 
munication between  the  different  Virgin  Islands. 
One  is  occasionally  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
passage  on  one  of  the  Quebec  Line  steamers  from 
St.  Thomas  to  St.  Croix.  Failing  this,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  depend  entirely  upon  sailboats  and  motor- 
boats  for  travel  between  St.  Thomas,  St.  John, 
and  St.  Croix.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  small 
steamer  or  motorboat  will  soon  be  placed  in  service 
between  the  islands,  with  a  government  subsidy 
for  the  carrying  of  mail.  Such  a  vessel  should  be 
a  profitable  venture. 

As  recuperating  resorts  for  invalids  the  Virgin 
Islands  unquestionably  offer  incomparable  oppor- 
tunities.   The  climate  in  many  ways  is  far  superior 
252 


'  ^M 

r'il 

'  •  'i.  '  % 

s 

i 

.  ■•   ^ 

MAS 

HINTS  FOR  THE  TOURIST 

to  that  of  the  Bermudas  and  the  Bahamas,  and  the 
quiet  Ufe  of  the  islands  should  be  a  favorable  ele- 
ment in  the  treatment  of  patients  who  go  there. 
The  man  who  builds  a  large  sanatorium  on  St. 
John  should  have  a  remunerative  investment,  if 
the  place  is  well  advertised  and  well  managed. 

The  tourist  will  find  two  hotels  in  Charlotte- 
Amalia  and  a  number  of  boarding  houses.  The 
Grand  Hotel,  with  about  twenty-five  rooms,  sit- 
uated directly  opposite  Emancipation  Park,  is 
considered  the  better,  although  the  Hotel  Italia, 
with  about  twenty  rooms,  is  also  well  spoken  of. 
Both  hotels  charge  alike,  according  to  accommoda- 
tions, and  are  on  the  American  plan.  The  meals 
at  the  Grand  Hotel  are  served  on  a  large  covered 
balcony  which  overlooks  the  little  park  and  the 
wonderful  harbor,  and  the  mild  climate  and  the 
abs  ice  of  mosquitoes  make  dining  here  a  constant 
pleasure. 

The  cooking  in  Charlotte-AmaHa  is  renowned, 
and  the  tourist  is  advised  to  come  here  prepared 
to  like  the  Creole  dishes.  It  may  be  said  in  general 
of  West  Indian  cooking  that  the  native  dishes  are 
far  more  wholesome  and  delightful  than  the  con- 
coctions that  are  sometimes  provided  by  tourist 

253 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

resorts  with  the  claim  that  they  are  American 
dishes.  There  are,  of  course,  imported  meats, 
canned  salmon  and  many  other  canned  edibles. 
But  if  the  visitor  is  content  with  fish  that  was  alive 
in  the  sea  not  more  than  one  hour  before  it  comes 
on  the  table,  with  fresh  native  lobster  more  delicate 
in  flavor  than  the  far-famed  coast-of -Maine  variety, 
with  vegetables  which,  even  if  unfamiliar  to  his 
eyes  and  taste,  are  as  toothsome  as  the  kinds  he 
s  accustomed  to  eat  up  North,  he  cannot  fail  to 
be  pleased. 

St.  John  has  practically  no  accommodations 
for  visitors.  For  some  time  a  boarding  house  was 
kept  in  an  historic  old  estate  house  at  Leinster  Bay, 
but  this  was  destroyed  by  the  hurricane  of  1916, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  will  be  rebuilt.  Limited 
accommodations  for  visitors  are  to  be  had  in  a 
small  bungalow  belonging  to  one  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Cruz  Bay.  While  these  are  quite  suitable  for 
the  temporary  stay  of  two  or  three  guests,  they 
are  not  sufficient  for  a  party  of  any  size. 

Both  in  Frederiksted  and  Christiansted  there 

are  good  boarding  houses  for  visitors,  with  ample 

accommodations   and  good  cooking.     Numerous 

owners  of  the  smaller  estates  are  also  willing  to 

254 


HINTS  FOR  THE  TOURIST 

take  in  boarders  who  care  for  the  country  hfe  of 
the  island. 

There  are  excellent  shops  in  St.  Thomas,  whose 
prices  correspond  favorably  with  those  of  the 
United  States.  There  is  also  a  good  drug  store. 
In  fact,  a  visitor  will  be  able  to  secure  practically 
all  he  needs.  This  is  true  also  of  St.  Croix;  but  on 
St.  John  nothing  is  obtainable.  On  both  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  Croix  there  are  experienced  physi- 
cians, and  trained  nurses  are  available. 

Practically  no  tourist  souvenirs  are  obtainable 
on  the  islands  with  the  exception  of  the  native 
baskets  that  are  now  produced  on  St.  John.  This 
lack  is  perhaps  one  of  the  chief  charms  of  a  stay 
there.  Elsewhere  in  the  West  Indies  vendors  of 
rubbish  and  trash  make  life  a  misery  to  the  tourist 
by  their  clamorous  solicitations. 


CHAPTER  XV 

DETAILED  AGRICULTURAL,  COMMERCIAL,  SHIP- 
PING  AND  BANKING  INFORMATION 

THE  facts  presented  in  this  chapter  are 
quoted  from  government  documents,  in- 
cluding United  States  Commerce  Re- 
ports, the  United  States  Naval  Medical  Bulletin, 
and  the  Special  Agents'  Report  made  to  the  De- 
partment of  Commerce  on  December  14,  1916,  by 
H.  G.  Brock,  Philip  S.  Smith,  and  W.  A.  Tucker. 

FOREIGN  TRADE 

Imports 

The  total  value  of  the  St.  Thomas  imports 
during  the  fiscal  year  ended  March  31,  1916,  with 
the  exception  of  machinery  and  material  worth 
$19,165  that  was  brought  in  for  use  at  the  harbor 
works  at  Longbay,  was  $734,680,  which  was  shared 
as  follows  by  the  chief  countries  of  origin:  United 
States,  $332,286;  West  Indies,  $91,748;  Great 
Britain,  $88,411;  Denmark,  $50,778;  France, 
$13,286;  the  Netherlands,  $12,601;  and  Germany, 
$1,195.  Imports  at  St.  Thomas  constitute  about 
70  per  cent,  of  the  imports  for  all  three  islands. 
256 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

Figures  for  the  shipments  to  St.  Croix,  either  direct 
or  via  St.  Thomas,  are  not  shown  separately. 

The  value  of  the  principal  articles  imported 
into  St.  Thomas  during  the  fiscal  year  ended 
March  31,  1914  (the  year  preceding  the  war),  and 
1916  (a  whole  year  under  war  conditions),  is 
shown  in  the  following  table: 

Articles             1914         1916  Articles               1914        1916 

Ammunition . . .  $6,718  $2,102  Breadstuffs : 

United  States  6,562    1,919         Corn 4,098    3,715 

Apparel 9,470    5,575  United 

United  King-  States. . .  4,094    3,415 

UnlraStates  S   1.704         ^^  ^jf ,  ,  ''*''  '''''' 

^  C^ff^; 3.818    2.863         p,  J*^*--  ■  •  '^•'^'^  ^0'«2« 

West  Indies    (a)      2,468  Wheat 

"stit'es^'^      112  353  (prfctically 

Tea .'.':      883  2.280  aUfromthe 

United  United 

Kingdom 1,340  „  States) ....  46,336  62,301 

Germany . .      861    Rye. ......  .     2,224    3,377 

Boats,  etc 2,935  1,338  United 

United  States  2,000  599  ^.    States...   2,086    3,377 

Boots  and  shoes  14,632  14,504         Rice 6,247    5,420 

UnitedStates  13,751  11,662             Germany. .   4,064    

United  King-  Nether- 

dom 283  1,034                 lands. . . .  1,303   

Breadstuffs:  United 

Cereals,  n.e.s.  1,314  1,634  Kingdom      815    4,770 
United  United 
States...      543  1,106                 States 342 

(a)    Not  separately  stated.  All  Other.  .  .  .     4,848     4,023 

17  257 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 


Articles  1914         1916 

Breadstufls,  all  other: 
United 

States 2,876    2,439 

United  King- 
dom    1,262    1,450 

Cement 3,671    6,339 

Denmark....   2,269    5,626 
United  States      238         31 
Chinaware, 
crockery, 

etc 3,075    1,671 

Germany 920   

United  King- 
dom       865       951 

United  States      675       578 

Coal 262,805  83,214 

United 

States....  262,805  82,013 

Confectionery, 
chocolate, 

cocoa, etc..  4,792    5,548 
Denmark....  2,033       123 
United  States  1,217    1,612 
United  King- 
dom     1,204    1,115 

Dairy  products: 

Butter 17,982  12,979 

Denmark. .  14,871  10,408 
United 

States...   1,937    2,560 

Cheese^ 7,308    5,072 

United 

States...  4,041    4,437 
Germany..   2,049       129 
Drugs     and 

chemicals..  6,735    4,282 
United  States  3,907    2,534 
United  King- 
dom     1,302       875 

Germany 1,204   

258 


Articles  1914        1916 

Fancy  goods . . .  11,237    7,750 
United  States  6,296    6,625 
United  King- 
dom    3,138    1,096 

Fish,     dried, 

salted,  etc.  8,080    5,840 
United  States  5,349    4,475 
Denmark....  2,395    1,143 
Fruits  and  vege- 
tables, fresh : 
Beans  and 

peas 6,651    7,308 

United 

States...   6,483    7,230 

Other 32,433  12,364 

United 

States...  28,921    5,064 
West  Indies  2,279    7,300 
Fruits  and  nuts, 

dried 2,317    1,506 

France 2,080         36 

United  States 1,256 

Glassware 12,799   6,800 

Germany ....  10,831    

United  States  1,102    3,817 
Denmark....        66    2,200 
Gold,  silver  and 

plated  ware  1,443       526 

United  States      310       289 

Hats  and  caps, 

n.e.s 

United  King- 
dom   

United  States 
Lard,       animal 
and    vege- 
table  

United  States  1,705 
Live    stock 

(West  Indies)  14,409  12,397 


1,420       605 


1,263 
17 


420 
185 


1,925 


10,124 
10,122 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 


Articles  1914         1916 

Margarine 9,083    5,781 

United  States  7,212    5,043 
Meats,  smoked, 

salted,  etc.  1,667    7,807 

Denmark 1,351       130 

United  States 7,652 

Metals  and  man- 
ufactures of: 
Machinery..    1,765       789 
United 

States..    1,103       274 
Denmark  .      187       474 
Wire, pipes, 
plates, 

etc 18,984  10,364 

United 

Kingdom  7,918    2,899 
United 

States..   7,791    6,741 
All  other....  21,957    8,250 
United 

States..  14,817    3,787 
United 

Kingdom  4,749    2,681 
Germany..   1,405       185 
Oils,     mineral 
and  vege- 
table  21,136  149,850 

United  States  10,253    7,286 
Paints,  colors, 

etc 17,223    7,291 

UnitedStates  10,955    1.453 
United  King- 
dom    6,052    5,430 

Paper  and  paper 

goods.....   8,996    7,627 
United  Eling- 

dom 2,939    1,187 

UnitedStates  2,497    3,688 
France 1,446      816 


Articles  1914        1916 

Perfumes,  toilet 

soaps, etc..   7,410    3,207 

France 3,025    2,096 

United  King- 
dom     1,413       491 

UnitedStates  1,665       505 

Preserves 12,646    7,524 

United  King- 
dom    3,806    1,340 

UnitedStates  3,271    4,262 
Soap,  common.   1,341    7,471 
UnitedStates  1,123       739 
United  King- 
dom     6,465 

Spirits,    wines 
and  liquors: 
Beer,    porter 
and  malt 

extract..  15,104  10,145 
Denmark. .  10,743    9,353 
United 
King- 
dom .... 

United 
States. . . 

Brandy 1,552 

United 
King- 
dom ....      527 
France ....       420 
Germany. .       602 

Gin 12,602 

Nether- 
lands.... 12,109 

Liqueurs 1,341 

France..,.       781 
Rum     (West 
Indies)....  6,835 


2,783       683 


223 


107 
1,150 


807 
343 

10,099 

9,662 
427 
268 

5,848 
259 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 


Articles  1914        1916 

Spirits,   wines 
and  liquors : 
Whisky  (prac- 
tically all 
from  United 
Kingdom)  .  7,101    3,632 

Wine 11,807    4,797 

France ....   4,342    2,526 
United 

States. . .        63       401 

Other  spirits. 23,704  20,171 

Westlndiesl7,06719,150 

Germany . .  4,403    

Starch 3,050    2,029 

United  States  2,988    2,015 
Straw  and  straw 
goods  (hats, 
baskets , 

etc.) 28,986    7,772 

United  King- 
dom    5,173    3,542 

United  States      297       744 

Sugar 38,232    4,130 

United  States  6,133    4,023 
l^extiles  I 

Cotton 70,006  39,398 

U  n  i  t  e  d 
King- 
dom  49,838  24,902 

United 

States...  13,798  11,517 


4,614 
5,949 


5,473 


Germany. . 
Woollen  .... 
United 
King- 
dom. .  .  . 

Silk.... 2,432 

United 
K  i  ng  - 
dom 1,231 

260 


101 
678 


664 
329 


181 


Articles  1914 

Textiles : 

Mixtures 3,689 

United 
Ki  ng- 
dom.  . . .   3,657 

France 

Tobacco,    and 
manufac- 
tures of: 
Unmanufac- 
tured. .  . 
United 
States  . . 


1916 
1,670 


639 
992 


7,194  14,461 


5,230    4,027 
Westlndies     (a)    10,434 
7,776    5,268 


160 

(a) 


Cigarettes 
United 
K  i  n  g  - 
dom.  .  .  . 
United 
States. . , 
West  Indies 

Cigars 8,851 

United 

States...   1,388 
West  Indies     (a) 
Wood  and  manu- 
factures of: 

Lumber 34,783 

United 

States...  28,631 

Matches 1,005 

Denmark. .      463 

Staves 5,090 

United 

States. . .      265 
All  other  n.e.s  1,555 
United 
States. . .      441 


4,069    2,577 


45 

2,501 
5,029 

158 
3,926 


4,707 

4,334 

2,224 

772 

4,846 

4,213 
S,873 

3,292 


(a)     Not  separately  stated. 


H 
X 
H 


H 

H 
H 
H 

a 


> 
> 

l-H 


K 
O 

> 

CD 


< 
I 

c 

X 


< 

< 
I 


W 
« 

m 
m 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

Exports 

Complete  statistics  of  exports  from  the  Danish 
West  Indies  were  not  obtainable.  Exports  to  the 
United  States  in  1915  amounted  to  $273,625.  To 
Porto  Rico  there  were  shipments  worth  $1,956. 
For  the  preceding  year  the  total  to  the  United 
States  was  $278,437,  to  Porto  Rico  $2,700.  Ship- 
ments to  the  United  States  are  shown,  by  articles, 
in  the  following  table: 

Articles  1914  1915  Articles  1914  1915 

From  St.  Thomas  From  St.  Croix 

Bay  rum $125  $146     Hides $365 

Cacao 107  Household 

Hides  and  skins  6,723  6,641          effects 421 

Metal,  old 663  Metal,  old . .        $93        3,086 

Margarine 375    Rum 2,449        1,511 

Paper,  straw . . .      900    Skins,    goat 

Rum 167  70  and  sheep        875           322 

Sandalwood. ...      500    Sugar 262,736    259,963 

Sugar 1,380    Tamarinds. .        136           118 

All  other  articles  1,978  212 

Total.  .  .$266,289  $265,786 


Total...  .$12,148  $7,839 

Grand  Total .  $278,437    $273,625 

MARKET  FOR  BOOTS  AND  SHOES 

By  far  the  largest  number  of  the  shoes  worn 
in  the  Danish  West  Indies  at  present  are  the 
products  of  American  factories.  Before  the  war 
in  Europe  stopped  the  regular  visits  of  British, 

261 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

French,  and  German  traveling  men,  many  shoes 
were  purchased  from  these  countries.  The  repre- 
sentative of  a  British  house  still  visits  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  Croix  on  his  way  to  St.  Kitts,  Dominica, 
Guadeloupe,  Barbadoes,  and  the  other  islands  of 
the  Lesser  Antilles,  but  for  the  most  part  the  ab- 
sence of  commercial  travelers  from  the  Continent 
and  the  prevailing  high  freight  rates  and  scarcity 
of  bottoms  have  left  the  field  almost  entirely  to 
American  shoe  manufacturers. 

Only  one  American  firm,  however,  a  New  York 
manufacturing  shoe  wholesaler,  is  aggressively 
going  after  this  business,  and  as  a  result  this  firm 
sells  practically  all  the  shoes  that  are  being  im- 
ported to-day.  A  few  orders  are  placed  through 
New  York  commission  houses  by  means  of  cata- 
logues sent  out  by  different  factories  or  whole- 
salers in  the  United  States,  but  there  is  scarcely  a 
store  in  either  St.  Thomas  or  St.  Croix  that  does  not 
carry  in  stock  a  certain  quantity  of  shoes  bought 
from  this  particular  manufacturing  shoe  wholesaler. 
There  are  without  doubt  opportunities  for  other 
American  manufacturers  to  sell  shoes  in  this  market. 

There  are  no  stores  selling  shoes  exclusively. 

Dry  goods,  notions,  shoes,  clothing,  furnishings, 
262 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

and,  in  some  cases,  groceries  are  all  sold  in  a  single 
*' general  store."  With  two  exceptions  they  occupy 
small  one-room  buildings,  with  no  windows  in 
which  to  display  goods  and  with  no  modern  inte- 
rior fittings.  Very  little  distinction  is  made  in 
stock  arrangement,  goods  of  one  kind  overlapping 
into  the  next.  At  present  the  stock  in  most  lines 
of  merchandise  is  very  low.  In  St.  Thomas  espe- 
cially every  store  possesses  a  heterogeneous  col- 
lection of  broken  lots  of  shoes  which  were  bought 
a  year  or  two  ago.  In  Frederiksted  every  one  of 
the  five  stores  that  handle  boots  and  shoes  is 
owned  and  personally  managed  by  a  woman. 
Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  business  done  by 
individual  retailers  can  be  obtained  from  the  state- 
ment that  two  typical  stores  in  the  towns  of  Fred- 
eriksted and  Christiansted  bought  American-made 
shoes  in  1915  to  the  value  of  $3,000  and  $3,400, 
respectively.  These  figures  are  somewhat  higher 
than  the  average  for  the  retail  shoe  business  in 
the  Danish  West  Indies. 

MARKET  FOR  TEXTILES 

The  imports  of  textiles  amount  to  slightly  less 
than  $250,000  annually,  cotton  piece  goods  form- 
ing 75  per  cent,  of  the  total  and  wearing  apparel 

263 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

about  10  per  cent.  The  remainder  is  made  up  of 
mixed  goods,  largely  cotton  and  worsted  dress 
fabrics  of  British  manufacture,  woollens,  hats,  and 
caps.  Silks  form  a  very  unimportant  part  of  the 
imports,  amounting  to  less  than  one-half  of  one 
per  cent.  The  low  earning  power  of  the  mass  of 
the  population  prevents  the  sale  of  any  appre- 
ciable quantity  of  high-priced  goods,  and  most  of 
the  imports  are  the  cheaper  grades. 

The  United  Kingdom  supplies  most  of  the 
cotton  goods  required  on  the  islands,  the  customs 
returns  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  March  31,  1914, 
showing  that  63  per  cent,  of  the  cottons  used  were 
imported  from  that  country.  The  United  States, 
the  leading  competitor  for  the  trade,  furnished 
about  30  per  cent.,  leaving  a  very  small  amount 
for  other  nations.  Practically  all  of  the  finer 
grades  of  white  goods  are  purchased  from  British 
manufacturers,  as  are  the  prints,  while  the  United 
States  furnishes  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
ginghams,  domestics,  and  khakis,  and  nearly  all 
of  the  denims. 

Next  in  importance  to  cotton  piece  goods  is 
the  item  of  ready-to-wear  apparel,   the  United 

Kingdom  and  the  United  States  supplying  about 

264 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

90  per  cent,  of  the  total,  with  British  goods  lead- 
ing by  a  slight  margin.  Included  in  this  classifi- 
cation are  all  types  of  ready-made  clothing,  under- 
wear, and  hosiery.  The  men's  clothing  is  almost 
entirely  khaki  and  drill,  most  of  the  fine  white 
suits  being  made  to  order  by  local  tailors.  In 
women's  wear  suits  are  a  very  small  part  of  the 
dealer's  imports,  the  native  women  making  most 
of  their  own  garments  and  the  white  women  pur- 
chasing in  the  United  States  on  their  trips  north, 
through  friends,  or  from  catalogues  issued  by 
various  firms  specializing  in  mail-order  business. 

OPPORTUNITIES  FOR  AMERICAN  TRADE 

One  of  the  principal  reasons  for  the  relatively 
small  sale  of  American-made  goods  is  the  fact  that 
there  has  been  no  consistent  and  sustained  effort 
to  secure  the  trade.  No  American  house  sends  a 
traveling  man  to  the  islands,  nor  has  there  been 
adequate  representation  of  any  sort.  During  the 
past  two  years  the  scarcity  of  European-made 
goods  has  forced  importers  to  seek  new  sources  of 
supply,  and  attention  has  been  directed  toward 
fabrics  made  in  the  United  States.  In  several 
instances  connections  have  been  established  with 

265 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

a  New  York  commission  house  that  acts  as  pur- 
chasing agent  for  the  importer,  receiving  the  orders 
and  searching  through  the  market  for  the  mer- 
chandise required.  This  method  works  out  very 
satisfactorily  in  the  buying  of  standard  goods  in 
which  the  price  factor  is  the  dominant  feature, 
but  is  very  undesirable  in  the  purchase  of  colored 
goods  and  fancies,  in  which  color,  style,  and  pat- 
tern are  the  prime  considerations. 

That  American  manufacturers  have  not  given 
this  market  the  attention  it  deserves  is  evident  to 
anyone  who  makes  the  most  perfunctory  investi- 
gation of  trade  conditions.  Lines  of  American 
goods  that  have  been  introduced  have  been 
successful  and  are  now  accepted  as  standards  in 
their  class. 

TARIFF 

In  St.  Thomas  the  import  duty  on  all  kinds  of 
commodities  is  the  same,  namely,  6  per  cent,  of 
the  invoice  value  of  the  goods  placed  on  board  the 
ship  for  exportation. 

In  St.  Croix  the  tariff  on  boots  and  shoes  is 
nominally  1^3/2  P^^  cent,  of  the  invoice  value,  but 
certain  other  charges  have  been  imposed,  includ- 
ing an  ** exchange  tax"  of  4  per  cent,  and  an  extra 
266 


t—...:       .^:,- 


Photograi>li  liy  Willinin  II.Kau 


ON    THE    SHORE,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 


riiotograph  by  William  T.  Deniarest 

U.    S.    S.    "iTASCA"    in    the    floating    dock,    ST.    THOMAS 


STREET 


FRONT  OF  GOVERNMENT  HOUSE,  CHARLOTTE-AMALIA,    ST.    THOMAS 
Looking  East  from  Government  Hill  towards  Luchetti's  Hill 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

tax  of  25  per  cent.,  based  on  the  invoice  value  plus 
the  ''exchange  tax."  A  shipment  of  shoes  with  an 
invoice  value  of  $100  would  thus  pay  a  duty  at 
the  St.  Croix  custom  houses  of  12J^  per  cent,  of 
$130  ($100  plus  $4  plus  $26),  or  virtually  an  im- 
port duty  of  lOj^  per  cent.  Whatever  the  country 
of  origin,  all  shoes  enter  at  the  same  rate. 

DOCKS  AND  OTHER  PORT  FACILITIES 

St.  Thomas  Harbob 

There  are  six  docks  from  which  coal  can  be 
taken  or  upon  which  cargoes  can  be  discharged. 
Vessels  drawing  up  to  31  feet  can  lie  alongside  any 
of  these  docks. 

There  is  a  floating  dry  dock  measuring  250 
feet  long  and  70  feet  wide.  Its  maximum  lifting 
capacity  is  3,000  tons.  Vessels  which  are  not  over- 
weight and  drawing  23  feet,  with  a  keel  of  300 
feet  or  less,  can  be  taken  up.  The  charge  for  dock- 
ing varies  from  60  cents  to  90  cents  per  ton  the 
first  day  and  for  succeeding  days  it  goes  as  low  as 
10  cents. 

There  is  also  a  repairing  slip  on  which  small 
vessels  (not  over  250  tons)  are  taken  at  the  same 
rates. 

The  facilities  for  general  repairing  are  excel- 

267 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

lent,  there  being  many  competent  ship  carpenters, 
sailmakers,  and  riggers.  There  is  also  a  very  good 
machine  shop  and  foundry. 

Rock  or  sand  ballast  can  be  obtained  for  $1 
per  ton  f.o.b. 

There  are  many  lighters,  owned  by  various 
companies,  and  the  usual  charge  for  a  lighter  of 
10  to  15  tons  capacity,  without  labor,  is  $5  per  day. 

There  are  many  stevedores  who  are  always 
ready  to  make  tenders  or  estimates  for  discharging 
or  loading  vessels. 

On  account  of  the  low  rate  of  duty  (6  per  cent.) 
ship's  stores  are  obtainable  at  nearly  the  same 
prices  as  in  the  United  States.  The  principal  im- 
ports at  St.  Thomas  are  coal,  fuel,  oil,  lumber, 
and  general  provisions.  The  chief  suppliers  of 
coal  are  the  West  Indian  Company  (Ltd.),  the 
St.  Thomas  Dock,  Engineering  &  Coaling  Com- 
pany (Ltd.),  and  the  Hamburg-American  Line. 

There  are  many  large  warehouses,  both  on 
the  wharves  and  in  the  town.  At  the  present  time 
a  warehouse  in  the  town  can  be  rented  for  $25  to 
$50  monthly.  This  includes  the  store  in  front  and 
the  private  wharf  in  the  rear.  All  warehouses  run 
from  the  principal  street  to  the  water,  and  the 
268 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

rent  varies  with  the  size.  They  may  be  had  from 
about  100  to  400  feet  long  and  with  an  average 
width  of  40  feet. 

Water  can  be  suppHed  either  at  the  docks  or 
from  water  boats  in  the  harbor,  from  which  it  is 
pumped  into  the  ship's  tanks.  Rain  water  is  used 
exclusively,  except  by  the  West  Indian  Company 
(Ltd.),  which  recently  has  drilled  three  wells,  the 
water  from  which  will  be  pumped  into  storage 
tanks  at  the  dock.  The  price  at  present  charged 
for  water  is  $1  per  ton  of  250  gallons  (September, 
1916). 

The  West  Indian  Company  (Ltd.),  a  joint- 
stock  company  with  a  capital  of  $1,680,000,  with 
domicile  originally  in  Copenhagen,  is  the  largest 
concern  dealing  intimately  with  the  affairs  of  St. 
Thomas.  Its  new  harbor  works,  coaling  station, 
and  complements  in  Longbay  promise  to  be,  when 
fully  completed,  the  finest  in  the  West  Indies. 

Formal  announcement  was  made  in  the  early 
part  of  1916  that  the  first  large  section  of  the  com- 
pany's extensive  harbor  works  had  been  completed. 
This  covered  the  construction  of  new  wharves  to 
the  extent  of  970  meters  in  length  and  the  dredg- 
ing of  the  water  in  Longbay  Basin  to  a  depth  of 

269 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

9.5  meters.  The  wharves  are  provided  with  all 
modern  conveniences  for  fastening  a  vessel 
alongside. 

Ports  on  St.  Croix  and  St.  John 

In  Frederiksted,  the  port  at  which  all  boats 
stop  in  St.  Croix,  there  is  no  protected  harbor. 
The  boats  anchor  about  a  half  mile  from  shore  in 
the  open  roadstead,  and  freight  is  lightered  each 
way.  Passengers  are  transferred  by  rowboat, 
operated  by  natives. 

The  wharf  is  a  substantial  concrete  structure 
about  30  feet  wide  and  extending  50  feet  from 
shore.  At  this  distance  out,  the  water  has  a  depth 
of  some  12  feet.  A  hand-operated  crane  is  con- 
veniently mounted  on  the  wharf  and  is  capable 
of  lifting  one  ton. 

Wharfage  is  charged  at  Frederiksted  at  the 
following  rates:  Hogshead,  10  cents;  tierce,  17 
cents;  barrel  or  bag,  4  cents;  case,  from  1  to  3 
cents,  according  to  size.  The  crane  may  be  used 
free  of  charge. 

The  harbor  in  Christiansted  is  well  protected 
from  heavy  seas,  but  the  entrance  is  so  filled  with 
coral  reefs  that  the  channel  is  tortuous  and  danger- 
ous. The  boats  of  the  Quebec  Steamship  Com- 
270 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

pany  usually  enter  the  harbor  during  the  sugar- 
shipping  season,  but  they  avoid  it  at  other  times. 
Since  most  of  the  traflSc  between  the  islands  is 
carried  on  in  small  sloops,  the  harbor  is  adequate, 
although  if  a  portion  of  the  reef  were  removed  a 
greater  degree  of  safety  would  be  assured  them, 
as  well  as  larger  boats. 

The  steamers  entering  Christiansted  anchor 
some  distance  out  in  the  harbor,  lightering  all 
freight.  The  sloops,  however,  can  tie  up  to  the 
wharf,  which  is  constructed  along  the  same  lines 
as  the  one  at  Frederiksted  and  equipped  with  a 
similar  crane. 

There  are  no  wharfage  dues  at  Christiansted, 
but  for  the  use  of  the  crane  there  is  a  charge  of  two 
cents  a  bag  or  barrel. 

As  the  island  of  St.  John  has  no  commerce 
except  that  which  can  be  carried  on  in  small  sailing 
boats,  no  harbors  or  ports  have  been  built  up 
there.  This  is  a  thing  which  could  be  done  with 
great  ease  if  commercial  conditions  warranted  it, 
as  there  are  many  natural  harbors  that  have  deep 
water  and  are  well  protected  from  storms.  In 
this  respect,  St.  John  is  perhaps  better  off  than 
either  of  the  other  islands.    The  most  attractive 

271 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

of  these  natural  harbors  is  Coral  Bay,  which, 
according  to  reliable  authority,  can  be  developed 
into  a  harbor  larger  than  St.  Thomas  and  superior 
to  it  in  many  respects. 

The  largest  settlement  on  St.  John  is  at  Cruz 
Bay,  where  there  is  a  wharf  about  12  feet  wide 
and  30  feet  long.  The  water  is  8  feet  deep  at  the 
wharf.  The  bay  is  situated  in  the  part  of  the  island 
nearest  to  St.  Thomas  and  would  afford  an  excel- 
lent harbor  for  small  craft,  which  might  ply  be- 
tween the  islands  if  St.  John  should  ever  again 
become  as  populous  as  it  once  was,  or  if  it  were 
to  be  developed  as  a  tourist  resort,  for  which  it  is 
so  well  suited. 

Telegraph,  Newspapers,  and  Telephone 

St.  Thomas  is  the  headquarters  of  the  West 
India  and  Panama  Telegraph  Company  (Ltd.), 
whose  duplicate  cables  cover  all  the  West  Indies 
and  the  west  coast  of  South  America,  and  connect 
at  Jamaica  with  cables  from  Europe  and  the 
United  States.  The  cable  rate  between  New  York 
and  St.  Thomas  or  St.  Croix  is  50  cents  a  word. 
Between  the  two  islands  the  rate  is  4  cents  a  word. 
All  the  outside  news  comes  over  these  wires,  and 
272 


> 
a 

I 

o 
:^ 

H 
H 

:^ 

O 

n 

a 
w 

h- 1 

O 

M 

O 
tB 

f 

o 
:^ 
«1 

o 

H 

a 
a 

H 

o 

O 


O 

a 

H 

^« 

n 

a 
> 
a 
t-i 
o 

H 

w 

I 


ROAD  IX  FKOXT  OF  CHRISTIAN  S  FORT  AXD  TYPICAL  ST.  THOMAS  CAB 

CHARLOTTE- AMALIA 


Photo^rapli  by  William  T.  Deinarest 

COLONIAL    BANK    AND    MAIN    STREET,    CHARLOTTE-AMALIA,  ST.  THOMAS 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

the  company  receives  approximately  $4,000  yearly 
for  issuing  a  daily  news  bulletin  both  in  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  Croix.  This  is  copied  in  the  papers,  and 
consequently  the  people  are  posted  briefly  regard- 
ing world  affairs  as  promptly  as  any  metropolis. 

In  St.  Thomas  there  are  two  newspapers  which 
are  published  daily  except  Sundays  and  holidays 
and  one  which  is  published  twice  a  week.  The 
latter,  the  "St.  Thomas  Tidende,"  is  also  the  official 
government  organ  or  gazette. 

In  St.  Croix  there  are  three  daily  papers,  Sun- 
days and  holidays  excepted.  One  is  published  in 
Frederiksted  and  two  in  Christiansted.  All  the 
papers  are  nearly  the  same  size,  consisting  of  four 
pages  about  10  inches  by  12. 

The  French  Cable  Company  has  a  cable  hut 
on  St.  Thomas  but  does  not  give  service  there,  as 
the  West  India  and  Panama  Telegraph  Company 
has  the  exclusive  right  in  accordance  with  the 
terms  of  its  agreement  with  the  government. 

St.  Thomas  and  St.  Croix  are  provided  with 
ample  telephone  service.  A  private  company 
operates  the  system  in  St.  Thomas,  and  the  local 
government  operates  the  system  in  St.  Croix.  In 
the  latter  island  there  are  three  central  offices, 
18  273 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

one  at  Frederiksted,  one  at  Christiansted,  and  one 
at  Kings  Hill,  which  is  midway  between  the  other 
two  and  serves  the  sugar  estates  and  the  country 
district  in  general.  This  system  is  in  charge  of 
the  building  inspector  at  Christiansted. 

There  are  no  wireless  stations  on  either  of  the 
islands. 

BUSINESS  CONDITIONS 
Banks  and  Banking 

There  are  two  banks  in  the  Danish  West 
Indies — the  National  Bank  and  the  St.  Thomas 
Savings  Bank.  Until  very  recently  there  was  a 
third — the  Colonial  Bank — a  British  banking 
institution  established  in  1836.  Owing  principally 
to  the  decline  in  business  due  to  the  effect  of  the 
European  war  on  the  shipping  in  St.  Thomas 
Harbor,  this  branch  of  the  Colonial  Bank  was 
discontinued  by  the  home  office  in  London. 

The  National  Bank  of  the  Danish  West  Indies 
is  a  strong  institution  with  a  main  office  at  Char- 
lotte-Amalia,  on  St.  Thomas,  and  branches  at 
Frederiksted  and  Christiansted,  on  St.  Croix.  It 
held  from  the  Danish  Government  the  sole  right 
to  issue  bank  notes  for  use  in  the  islands,  notes 
tothe  value  of  $250,000 .00  being  in  circulation  in 
274 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

1916.  A  general  commercial  business  is  carried  on, 
and  loans  are  made  against  mortgages  on  real 
estate  as  security.  The  subscribed  capital  is 
$1,000,000.00  and  the  reserve  fund  amounts  to 
$15,089.72.  The  bank  has  connections  on  the 
Continent  and  in  the  United  States  and  may  be 
utilized  for  collection  purposes  by  American 
manufacturers. 

The  St.  Thomas  Savings  Bank  received  in 
deposits  during  the  year  ending  October  20,  1915, 
the  sum  of  $13,323.00.  These  comprised  1,133 
accounts.  The  total  number  of  accounts  carried 
by  this  bank  in  1916  was  1,644. 

Insurance 

With  one  exception  there  are  no  agents  of 
American  insurance  companies  or  associations  of 
underwriters  actively  engaged  in  soliciting  busi- 
ness. The  National  Board  of  Marine  Under- 
writers of  New  York  forms  the  exception,  this 
organization  maintaining  an  ofHce  in  St.  Thomas. 
In  St.  Thomas  there  are  also  agencies  representing 
British,  Canadian,  French,  German,  and  Danish 
companies.  Only  British,  Canadian,  and  Danish 
companies  are  established  in  St.  Croix.  Practically 
all  well-known  forms  of  insurance — fire,  life,  marine, 

275 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

damage  to  property,  accident,  cyclone,  and  tidal 
wave — are  written.  St.  John  risks  are  covered  by 
agents  in  St.  Thomas,  no  local  offices  being  main- 
tained in  the  former  island.  Approximately 
$100,000  of  life  insurance  is  in  force  at  present  in 
St.  Croix,  with  a  lesser  amount  in  St.  Thomas  and 
practically  none  in  St.  John. 

In  St.  Croix,  where  the  raising  and  grinding  of 
sugar-cane  constitutes  the  principal  business,  a 
great  deal  of  fire  insurance  is  placed  on  the  build- 
ings and  property  of  the  sugar  estates.  The 
premium  receipts  collected  from  this  source  alone 
by  the  largest  insurance  agent  in  the  island 
amounted  to  $6,000  for  the  six  months  ending 
June  30,  1916.  Since  November,  1915,  when  a 
strike  of  sugar-estate  laborers  took  place,  lasting 
for  several  months,  a  certain  amount  of  protection 
against  damage  from  riot  and  civil  commotion  has 
been  put  on  by  estate  owners. 

Several  years  ago  an  American  life-insurance 
company  established  an  office  in  St.  Croix,  but 
withdrew  shortly  afterwards  before  much  business 
had  been  placed.  With  this  exception  no  attempt 
seems  to  have  been  made  by  American  companies 
to  enter  the  life  insurance  field.  No  mortality 
276 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

statistics  are  available.  Sanitary  conditions  in 
both  St.  Thomas  and  St.  Croix  are  decidedly  better 
than  those  existing  in  many  tropical  countries. 
Epidemics  are  practically  unknown,  although  there 
are  no  public  sanitary  works  of  any  description. 

It  is  believed  that  there  is  an  opportunity  for 
at  least  one  strong  life-insurance  company  and  at 
least  one  strong  fire-insurance  company  from  the 
United  States  to  establish  an  agency  at  St.  Thomas 
and  St.  Croix,  the  latter  offering  the  most  attrac- 
tive field  at  the  present  time. 

Monopolistic  Drug  Stores 

Some  of  the  most  curious  facts  connected  with 
business  on  the  islands  have  to  do  with  the  phar- 
macies. C.  S.  Butler  and  E.  G.  Hakansson  write  in 
the  United  States  Naval  Bulletin: 

"There  are  three  grades  of  diplomas  issued 
from  the  Danish  College  of  Pharmacy.  Only 
pharmacists  rated  one  or  two  are  qualified  for 
the  privilege  of  running  a  drug  store.  The  grade 
of  diploma,  number  of  years  of  experience,  pro- 
fessional merits  and  scientific  work  done  are  the 
main  factors  to  determine  a  choice.  The  privilege 
of  having  a  drug  store  is  granted  for  a  lifetime  to 

the  successful  candidate.    He  pays  no  tax  for  this 

277 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

monopoly  and  is  independent  of  the  Government 
in  his  business.  He  may  resign  at  any  time,  with 
the  permission  of  the  authorities,  and  his  successor, 
appointed  in  a  similar  manner,  is  obliged  to  buy 
his  stock  and  place  of  business.  This  form  of  drug 
store  is  called  'real,'  and  is  the  only  kind  estab- 
lished since  1830.  Before  this  year  the  privilege 
of  leasing  drug  stores  did  not  return  to  the  Govern- 
ment until  the  death  or  resignation  of  the  appointee, 
but  the  privilege  was  his  personal  right,  which  he 
could  sell  at  any  time  to  any  qualified  pharmacist 
for  any  price  he  could  get.  These  drug  stores  are 
called  'personal'  and  were  not  changed  to  'real' 
when  the  new  law  went  into  effect. 

"There  are  three  drug  stores  in  the  Virgin 
Islands,  one  in  each  of  the  three  towns.  The  ones 
in  Charlotte-Amalia  and  Christiansted  are  'real;' 
the  one  in  Fredericksted  is  'personal.'  The 
history  of  Apothecary  Hall,  in  St.  Thomas,  illus- 
trates the  system.  It  was  established  about  1830 
and  kept  by  the  successful  pharmacist  until  1883, 
when  he  transferred  it  to  his  two  sons  and  retired, 
spending  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  a  suburb  of 
Copenhagen,  in  his  magnificent  villa,  'St.  Thomas,' 
entertaining  royalty  and  nobility.  His  sons  man- 
278 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

aged  the  business  up  to  1913,  when  the  present 
owner  bought  it  for  $76,000." 

CLIMATE  AND  RAINFALL 

For  the  year  ending  June  30,  1915,  the  records 
furnished  in  the  annual  report  of  Dr.  Longfield 
Smith,  director  of  the  colonial  agricultural  experi- 
ment station  in  St.  Croix,  show  that  the  coolest 
weeks  during  the  period  were  January  18  to  31, 
with  a  maximum  temperature  of  83"^  F.  and  a 
minimum  of  65^  P.,  and  March  8  to  14,  maximum 
82"^  F.  and  minimum  66°  F.  The  hottest  weeks 
were  August  31  to  September  6,  maximum  91°  F., 
minimum  76°  F.,  and  September  7  to  13,  maximum 
92°  F.,  minimum  74°  F. 

No  records  of  rainfall  are  available  for  any  of 
the  islands  except  St.  Croix.  On  that  island, 
according  to  the  report  of  the  experiment  station, 
the  average  rainfall  for  the  previous  63  years  was 
375.1  lines  (31.26  inches),  and  the  records  show 
that  there  has  been  no  diminution  or  alteration 
of  distribution  during  that  period.  The  heaviest 
rainfall  occurs  in  May  and  again  in  September 
and  October. 

There  are  periods  when  the  rainfall  is  less  than 
a  maximum   sugar   crop   requires   and   irrigation 

279 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

would  be  desirable.  Abundant  opportunities  exist 
for  the  impounding  of  water  for  this  purpose  by 
the  construction  of  dams  across  the  narrow  en- 
trances of  some  of  the  small  valleys  debouching 
on  the  fertile  plains  of  the  south.  The  relatively 
small  expense  involved  would  be  well  repaid  by 
the  assurance  of  sufficient  water  during  the  occa- 
sional dry  periods  and  the  resultant  more  uniform 
yield  of  cane. 

AGRICULTURE  AND  ALLIED  INTERESTS 

Sugab-Cane 

The  largest  amount  of  sugar  that  has  been 
exported  in  the  last  15  years  was  in  1903,  when 
19,275  short  tons  were  taken  from  the  islands. 
The  amount  for  1915  was  but  4,500  tons,  though 
in  1916  the  total  was  much  larger. 

The  director  of  the  agricultural  experiment 
station  has  been  endeavoring  to  develop  a  cane 
that  will  be  better  suited  to  the  soil  and  climatic 
conditions  than  any  of  the  varieties  now  being 
grown.  Much  progress  has  been  made  in  this  direc- 
tion, though  it  is  too  early  yet  to  publish  the  results. 

Cotton 

In  1913  there  were  some  2,000  acres  devoted 

to  sea-island  cotton,  but  owing  to  the  appearance 

of  insect  pests  in  the  fields,  and  more  especially 
280 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

to  the  various  difficulties  experienced  as  a  result 
of  the  European  war,  financial  loss  was  threatened, 
and  since  that  year  cotton  raising  has  been  tem- 
porarily abandoned.  That  it  will  ultimately 
become  next  in  importance  to  cane,  however,  is 
the  belief  of  all  who  have  been  connected  with 
it  in  the  past. 

GOVERNMENT  AND  EDUCATION 

Under  the  rule  of  Denmark  the  executive 
power  was  in  the  hands  of  a  colonial  governor 
appointed  by  the  Crown.  The  executive  resided 
on  the  island  of  St.  Thomas  for  six  months  of  the 
year — from  October  1  to  March  31 — and  in  the 
sister  colony  of  St.  Croix  for  the  other  six  months. 
The  islands  were  divided  into  two  political  parts, 
the  first  consisting  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John, 
and  the  second  of  St.  Croix.  Legislative  power 
was  vested  in  two  distinct  colonial  councils,  the 
seat  of  one  being  in  Christiansted,  the  capital  of 
St.  Croix,  and  of  the  other  in  Charlotte-Amalia. 
In  the  latter  island  the  council  was  composed  of 
11  members — 4  nominated  by  the  Crown  and 
7  elected,  4  from  the  town  of  Charlotte-Amalia, 
2  from  the  island  of  St.  John,  and  1  from  the 

country   district   of   St.    Thomas.      The   colonial 

281 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

council  of  St.  Croix  was  made  up  of  18  members — 
5  nominated  by  the  Crown  and  13  chosen  by  the 
electorate. 

The  qualifications  for  voters  were  Based  on  two 
cardinal  points:  First,  the  applicant  must  own 
real  estate  yielding  a  monthly  income  of  $5,  or 
else  his  personal  income  must  be  $300  per  year; 
and,  second,  he  must  be  of  unblemished  character. 

The  government  revenues  were  raised  largely 
by  import  duties,  export  duties  on  sugar,  trade 
and  lamp  taxes,  vehicle  taxes,  boat  taxes,  real 
estate  taxes,  tonnage  fees,  and  a  head  tax  on  all 
persons  leaving  St.  Thomas  for  other  countries. 

Education  is  compulsory  from  the  ages  of  7  to 
13.  Under  the  able  supervision  of  the  school 
director,  Mr.  O.  Rubner-Peterson,  the  school 
system  was  gradually  extended  during  the  few 
years  before  the  transfer  of  the  islands,  new  build- 
ings opened,  and  new  courses  instituted.  Instruc- 
tion is  free  in  all  cases,  and  all  but  a  few  of  the 
textbooks  are  furnished  by  the  government. 
During  the  later  years  of  instruction  the  aim  is 
to  teach  subjects  of  a  decidedly  practical  nature. 
Both  English  and  Danish  are  taught,  but  the 
latter  has  never  been  made  compulsory,  and  the 
282 


DETAILED  INFORMATION 

native  preference  for  English  has  not  been  inter- 
fered with.  Except  among  oflScials  and  soldiers 
and  for  street  signs  and  notices,  Danish  is  little 
used. 

In  1916,  3,500  pupils  were  enrolled  in  all  grades. 
Two  sessions  were  held  six  days  in  the  week,  the 
first  session  from  8  to  11  in  the  morning,  the  second 
from  1  to  4  in  the  afternoon.  The  high-school 
masters  in  St.  Croix  were  Danes,  the  remainder 
of  the  teachers  in  all  three  islands  being  natives 
who  have  been  given  a  course  of  training  in  Danish 
at  Copenhagen,  or,  in  some  cases,  teachers  obtained 
from  the  neighboring  British  island  of  Antigua. 
The  salary  of  grammar-school  teachers  was  $30 
per  month  and  that  of  high-school  teachers  was 
$60  per  month  for  12  months  in  the  year.  Twenty 
teachers  made  up  the  regular  staff,  and  these  met 
different  classes  at  the  morning  and  afternoon 
sessions. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

The  following  works  have  been  consulted  by 
the  authors  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume: 

Anonymous:  "West  Indian  Sketch  Book."  London, 
1834,  2  Vols.  A  sketchy  and  highly  interesting  nar- 
rative of  the  life  and  customs  of  the  British  Virgin 
Island  of  Tortola  in  the  early  nineteenth  century, 
with  a  brief  mention  of  some  of  the  other  Lesser 
Antilles. 

Aspinall,  Algernon  E.:  "Pocket  Guide  to  the  West 
Indies.*'  London,  1914.  A  general  guide  to  the  West 
Indies  which  at  times  is  very  inaccurate. 

Booy,  Theodoor  de:  "Archseological  Investigations  in 
the  Virgin  Islands . ' '  Scientific  American  Supplement 
No.  2180,  October  13,  1917.  Tells  of  the  problems 
of  the  archeologist  in  search  of  Indian  remains  on 
the  Virgin  Islands  of  the  United  States. 

Booy,  Theodoor  de:  "The  Virgin  Islands  of  the  United 
States."  Geographical  Review,  Vol.  iv.  No.  5, 
November,  1917.  A  general  account  of  the  newly 
acquired  Virgin  Islands  of  the  United  States. 

Brock,  H.  G.,  P.  S.  Smith,  W.  A.  Tucker:  "The  Danish 
West  Indies,  Their  Resources  and  Commercial  Im- 
284 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

portance."  Department  of  Commerce  of  the  United 
States,  Special  Agents  Series,  No.  129.  Washington, 
D.  C,  1917.  Contains  valuable  information  as  to 
the  resources  and  trade  possibilities  of  these  islands 
and  a  good  description  of  the  harbor. 

Butler,  C.  S.  and  E.  G.  Hakansson:  "Some  First  Im- 
pressions of  the  West  Indies.'*  The  United  States 
Medical  Bulletin,  October,  1917.  An  informing  article, 
written  from  the  medical  point  of  view. 

Cleland,  Herdman  F.:  "Curagao,  a  Losing  Colonial 
Venture."  Bulletin  of  the  American  Geographical 
Society,  Vol.  xli.  No.  3,  1909.  A  description  of  the 
island  of  Curasao  with  figures  showing  the  cost  of 
this  colony  to  the  Netherlands. 

Dupontes,  P.  C. :  "Les  Petites  Antilles."  Paris  (N.  D.). 
A  book  containing  general  geographical  and  political 
information  of  the  Lesser  Antilles  with  data  pertain- 
ing to  their  resources,  imports,  exports,  et  cetera. 

Edwards,  Bryan :  " History  of  the  British  West  Indies," 
fourth  edition,  London,  1807.  3  Vols.  An  oft-con- 
sulted history  of  the  West  Indies  and  of  the  Island 
of  Santo  Domingo. 

Emerson,  Guy:  "Virgin  Islands  of  the  United  States." 
South  American,  Vol.  v.  No.  8,  New  York,  June, 
1917.  Contains  economic  information  on  the  Virgin 
Islands. 

Hakluyt,  Richard:    "Historic  of    the  West   Indies." 

285 


THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS 

London  1625.  Of  prime  interest  to  the  historical 
student  of  the  Antilles. 

Harris,  Garrard:  "The  West  Indies  as  an  Export 
Field."  Department  of  Commerce  of  United  States, 
Special  Agents  Series,  No.  141,  Washington,  D.  C., 
1917.  A  compilation  of  trade  figures  on  the  West 
Indies. 

Irving,  Washington:  "Life  and  Voyages  of  Christopher 
Columbus."  The  best  general  work  on  the  discovery 
and  conquest  of  the  West  Indies. 

Knox,  John  P.:  "Historical  Account  of  St.  Thomas, 
W.  I."  New  York,  1852.  Probably  the  most  com- 
plete general  description  of  St.  Thomas  published. 

Martyr,  Peter:  "Letters  to  Ascanius  Sphorcia."  Early 
narratives  of  the  newly  discovered  West  Indies. 

National  Geographical  Society:  "An  American  Gibral- 
tar." National  Geographic  Magazine,  Vol.  xxx. 
No.  1.  Gives  measurements  of  the  Virgin  Islands  of 
the  United  States. 

Taylor,  C.  E. :  "  Leaflets  from  the  Danish  West  Indies." 
London,  1888.  An  interesting  guide  and  hand-book 
of  St.  Thomas,  St.  John  and  St.  Croix. 

Vaux,  Patrick:  "A  Forgotten  West  Indian  Island." 
United  Empire,  Vol.  viii,  N.  S.  February,  1917. 
One  of  the  few  descriptions  that  can  be  found  of  the 
Island  of  Anegada. 

Verrill,  A.  Hyatt:  "A  Book  of  the  West  Indies." 
286 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

New  York,  1917.  A  valuable  and  well-written  guide- 
book of  the  West  Indies. 

Westergaard,  Waldemar:  "The  Danish  West  Indies 
Under  Company  Rule."  New  York,  1917.  The  only 
scholarly  work  which  goes  into  the  history  of  these 
islands  during  the  period  from  1671  up  to  1764  in 
full  detail. 

U.  S.  Hydrographic  Office:  "West  India  Pilot,"  Vol. 
ii,  No.  129.  Washington,  D.  C,  1914.  A  guide  to 
mariners,  which  contains  a  great  deal  of  geographical 
information. 


INDEX 


Aborigines,  34,  152 

Amiens,   treaty  of,   restores  Virgin 

Islands  to  Denmark,  45 
Anegada,  242,  244 
Annaberg,  168 
Arawak  tribes,  36 
Archeological  investigations,  84-36, 

102-107,  152,  153,  154,  163,  225- 

230,  244 
Audain,  the  story  of,  239 
Ayay,  Indian  name  for  Santa  Cruz, 

37 

Banks  and  Banking,  274,  275 
Bassin  (Chris tiansted),  St.  Croix,  214 
Bay  rum,  145,  148,  149 
Blaekbeard's  Castle,  82 
Bluebeard's  Castle,  59,  86 
Bourdeaux  Mountain,  135 
Botany  Bay,  St.  Thomas,  121 
Brandenburg,    Duchy   of,    operates 

factory  on  St.  Thomas,  51,  52 
Bredal,  Governor  Erik,  124,  125 
Brewer's  Bay,  St.  Thomas,  121 
British  Virgin  Islands,  history,  231 ; 
area  and  population,  233;  climate, 
233;  Jost  Van  Dyke.  234;  trade, 
233;  Tortola,  234;  geology.  235; 
products,    235;    coconut    groves, 
236;  Road    Harbor,   236;  Road- 
town,  237;  communication  with 
Charlotte- Amalia,  237;  excursions 
on  Tortola,  239-240 ;  Virgin  Gorda, 
240;  Anegada,  242 
Broom-corn,  opportunity  for,  146 
Brun,   Minister,    signs   transfer   of 

Danish  West  Indies,  24 
Buccaneers,  59,  83-86,  231,  237,  244 
Buck  Island  Lighthouse,  58 
Biilowminde,  St.  Croix,  24 
Burials,  Indian,  105,  106 


Cable,  submarine,  97,  119,  272 
Camel  Mountain,  135 

*'Caneelboom,"  137 

Caroline  Estate,   St.  John,  129,  133 

Cattle  raising,  150 

Cemeteries,  .care  of,  116 

Charles  V  of  Spain,  42 

Charlotte-Amalia  approach  to,  58; 
signal  station,  60;  servants,  71; 
population,  71 ;  Moravian  Church, 
77;  Lutherian  Church,  77;  Dutch 
Reformed  Church,  78;  Huguenot 
Church,  79;  Jewish  Church,  79; 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  79; 
schools,  79;  streets,  80;  govern- 
ment offices,  82;  Christian's  Fort, 
85;  Saluting  Battery,  89;  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year's  Day,  92,  93; 
steamship  lines,  94;  docks,  95; 
telegraph  and  cable,  96;  hotels, 
252,  253;  cooking,  253 

Christian   IX,  King,    Proclamation 
announcing  failure   of   treaty   of, 
1867,  20-22 

Christiansted,  St.  Croix,  211;  Sophia 
Frederika  Fort,  215;  dangerous 
navigation,  45 

Churches  in  Charlotte-Amalia,  77-79 

Citizenship,  provision  as  to,  for 
inhabitants  of  former  Danish  West 
Indies,  27 

Climate,  62,  278,  279 

Coconut  groves,  236 

CoUarstones,  35 

Columbus,  Christopher,  34,  37-40, 
226 

Conch  shells  as  grave  ornaments, 
117 

Congo  Cay  as  a  fisherman's  resort, 
152 

Cooking,  native,  253 

289 


INDEX 


Coral  Harbor  Bay,  St.  John,  124 

Coral  Bay,  St.  John,  128,  130-132, 
136,  138,  139,  166 

Cotton,  209,  280 

Crab  Island,  50,  124 

Cruger,  Nicholas,  employer  of  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  204,  219 

Cruz  Bay,  St.  John,  137,  141 

Cuba,  16,  22 

Curasao  and  the  Panama  Canal, 
32 

Danish  West  Indies,  history  of  trans- 
fer, 16;  date  of  transfer,  16,  24; 
treaty  of  1867  for  sale  of,  17; 
proclamation  of  sale  of  in  1867, 
17-19;  lapse  of  treaty  of  1867,  20; 
Germany  and,  23;  treaty  of  1902, 
23;  offer  of  1906  for,  23;  vote  of 
inhabitants,  24;  ceremony  of 
transfer,  24 

Danish  West  India  and  Guinea 
Company,  purchase  St.  Croix,  44 ; 
claim  St.  Thomas,  47;  supply 
slaves  to  St.  Thomas,  51 

Danish  West  India  Company,  51, 
133,  184,  187,  189 

Dannebrog,  replaced  by  Stars  and 
Stripes,  24-26 

Denmark  takes  possession  of  St. 
Croix,  186 

De  Vaugalan,  Commander  of  French 
expedition  to  St.  Croix,  178 

Docks  at  Charlotte-Amalia,  95 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  43 

"Drowned  Island"  (Anegada),  243 

Drug  stores,  277 

Duerloo,  Peter,  129 

Duerloo  Estate,  St.  John,  129 

Earthquake,  69,  206 

East  End  settlement,  167 

Education,  281-283 

Eleven  thousand  Virgins,  40 

Emancipation  of  slaves  in  West 
Indies,  45,  191 

Emmaus,  Moravian  Mission  Sta- 
tion, 142,  166 

Excursions  on  St.  Thomas,  98 

290 


Figure-heads  at  Krum  Bay,  120 
Fire  in  a  cane  field,  197,  222 
Fishing,  111,  150,  151,  159 
Flanagan  Passage,  233 
Frederiksted,  211 
French  West  India  Company,  183 
Furniture,  antique,  82,  168,  170,  220 

"Garden  of  the  Antilles,"  231 

Government,  281 

**  Graveyard  of  ships,"  119 

Great  Britain  in  the  West  Indies,  30 

Guadaloupe,  176 

Guantanamo,  Cuba,  32 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  204,  218 
Hans  LoUik,  237 
Hassel  Island,  60,  61,  64 
Havensicht,  on  St.  Croix,  224 
Heligoland,    exchanged    for    Virgin 

Islands,  85 
Hotel  opportunities,  158,  171,  253, 

254 
Hunting,  112,  159,  224,  239 
Hurricanes,  61,  65-68,  115,  138,  141, 

161,  168,  204,  206,  218 


Imports,  25&-261 

Insurance,  275,  276 

Irving,  Washington,  quotation  from, 

37 
Iversen,    Jorgen,    Governor  of  St. 

Thomas,  48,  49,  50 

Jamaica,  31,  35,  36 

K.  C.  Bay,  137,  170 
Kitchen-middens,  104 
Krum  Bay,  107,  118.  119 

Labor  difficulties  on  St.  Croix,  190- 

199 
Labor  Union  at  Charlotte-Amalia, 

72;  on  St.  Croix,  197 
Lansing,   Secretary  of  State,   signs 

transfer  of  Danish  West  Indies, 

24;  reports  on  islands,  28 


INDEX 


Leinster  Bay,  168 

Leeward  Islands,  123,  237 

Little  Cinnamon  Bay,  St.  John,  129, 

130 
Lovango  Cay,  134 
Lutheran  pastor  resides  in  fort,  40 
Lutheran,  the  official  Church  of  the 

Danish  Government,  77 

Magens  Bay,  101,  102,  103,  104,  106 
Mahogany  furniture,  82,  168,  170, 

221 
Malta,  Knights  of,  buy  St.  Croix, 

181,  182 
Manchineel  apples,  173,  174 
Mjcsonic  Lodge,  138,  168 
Martinique,  131 

Monopolistic  drug  store,  277,  278 
Monroe  Doctrine  and  the  transfer 

of  Danish  West  Indies,  25 
Moravians,  77,  117,  141,  146,  166 
Museum  of  the  American   Indians, 

34,  36,  42,  101,  227 

Narrows,  the,  134 
Naval  base  in  the  West  Indies,  32 
Navigation,  dangerous,  134 
Negro  insurrection,  127,  194,  232 
Netherlands,  possessions  of,  in  West 

Indies,  30,  31,  32,  33 
Nevis,  131 
Newspapers,  75,  273 
Niesky  Mission  Station,  117 
None-such  ("Vigilant"), story  of,  216 

Oldendorp   and   the   aboriginies   of 

Virgin  Islands,  41 
Oliver,  Rear  Admiral  James  H.,  first 

governor  of  the  Virgin  Islands,  29 
Oysters,  growing  in  trees,  226 

Panama  Canal,  safeguarding  the,  32, 

33 
Parforce  Estate,  165 
Petroglyphs,  153-156,  162-165 
Pirates,  39,  86,  239 
Porto  Rico,  26,  28,  35,  106,  122,  172, 

182;  journey  to  St.  Thomas  from, 

54 


Pottery,  pre-Columbian,  36 
Primitive  races  of  the  Virgin  Islands, 

35 
Primitive  sugar  mill,  157 
Privateer  Bay,  138 
Privateers,  141,  217.  237 

Rainfall,  63,  141,  202,  279 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  173 
Reconciling  Coiut,  76 
Reef  Bay,  140,  160 
Roadtown,  Tortola,  237 
Roosevelt,  President,  and  treaty  of 
1902,  23 

Sail  Rock  and  the  French  frigate,  55 

St.  Croix,  sentiment  as  to  transfer, 
26;  aboriginies,  34;    purchase  by 
Dutch  West    India  and    Guinea 
Co.,  44;  opened  to  commerce,  44 
colonization,  44;  history,  172-189 
came  into  possession  of  Denmark 
186;   slave  revolutions,    194-197 
labor  union,    197;  locatic«i,   201 
physical    features,    201;    rainfall 
202;  geology,  202;  climate,  203 
hurricanes,  204-206;  earthquake 
206;  agriculture,  207;  sugar  mills 
208;   cotton,    209;   Christiansted 
211;  Frederiksted,  211;  roads,  221 
hunting,    224;    "Garden    of    the 
Antilles,"  231;  forts,  270 

St.  Christopher,  176,  177 

St.  Eustatius,  177 

St.  John,  aborigines,  35;  trade,  44; 
colonization,  44;  Caroline  Estate, 
129,  133;  Little  Cinnamon  Bay, 
129,  130;  slave  revolt,  127-133; 
Coral  Bay,  128,  130,  131,  138; 
Duerloo  Estate,  129;  dangerous 
navigation,  134;  location,  134; 
geology,  135;  drainage,  135;  Camel 
Mountain,  135;  area,  135;  ship- 
ping, 136;  Cruz  Bay,  137,  146; 
K.  C.  Bav,  137;  Cinnamon  Bay, 
137;  Dennis  Bay,  138;  East  End 
settlement,  138,  167;  Privateer 
Bay,  139;  Masonic  Lodge,  138, 
168;    Reef   Bay,    140,    160,    165; 

291 


INDEX 


temperature,  141;  rainfall,  141; 
health  conditions,  142;  popula- 
tion, 144;  bay  rum,  145;  charcoal, 
147,  148,  149;  fishing.  150-152; 
petroglyphs,  153,  162;  sugar,  157; 
possibilities,  158,  171;  Reef  Bay 
waterfall,  161;  Annaberg,  168; 
Leinster  Bay,  168;  sugar  factory, 
ruins,  170;  forts,  271 

St.  Martins,  177 

St.  Thomas,  sentiment  as  to  trans- 
fer, 26;  aborigines,  35;  trade,  44, 
97;  first  Europeans,  44,  47;  first 
colonists,  48;  Charlotte- Amalia, 
49;  location,  53,  54;  physical 
features,  55;  area,  56;  harbor,  57; 
Cowell's  Battery,  59,  60;  climate, 
62;  newspapers,  74;  courts,  75; 
characteristics  of  people,  75; 
Moravian  Brethren,  77;  churches, 
77-79;  Blackbeard's  Castle,  82, 
108,  109,  110;  Bluebeard's  Castle, 
87;  Ma  Folic  Estate,  99;  excur- 
sions on,  98;  Magens  Bay,  101, 
102,  103,  104,  106;  "Eenigheit," 
107;  Krum  Bay.  107,  118,  119; 
New  Hernhut  Mission,  108-110; 
Tutu  Estate,  110;  Water  Bay,  111 ; 
Windberg,  114;  Mandal  Estate, 
115;  graveyard.  117;  Lovenlund, 
116;  Niesky  Mission  station,  117; 
submarine  cable,  118;  the  "grave- 
yard of  ships,"  119;  figure-heads  at 
Ej-um  Bay,  120;  Mosquito  Bay, 
121;  Brewer's  Bay,  121;  Botany 
Bay,  121;  "cha-chas,"  122;  settle- 
ment, 124;  ports,  267 

San  Juan,  Porto  Rico,  74 

Santa  Anna,  General,  82 

Santo  Domingo,  35,  107 

Schmidt,  Erik,  47 

Seward,  Secretary  of  State,  16,  20 

Siamese  man  of  war.  greeting  to,  60 

Signal  Station  at  Charlotte-Amalia, 
60 

Slavery,  45,  52,  115,  122,  127-133, 
169,  190-194 

Smugglers,  169 

Sophia  Frederika  Fort,  Christian- 
sted,  45 

292 


Stevedores  at  Charlotte-Amalia,  72 

Steamship  lines  touching  at  Char- 
lotte-Amalia, 95 

Stars  and  Stripes  replace  Danne- 
brog,  24,  25 

Sugar-cane,  53,  109,  146,  207,  208, 
238,  281 ;  watch  houses,  222;  fire  in 
a  cane  field,  222;  production.  280 

Sumner,  Charles,  defends  treaty  of 
1867,  20 

Swallowing  stick,  35 

Tariff,  267 

Tappus  (early  name  of  Charlotte- 
Amalia),  70 

Teach,  John  (Blackbeard),  82 

Telephone,  273 

Telegraph  and  cable,  96,  272 

Thatch  Cay,  113,  135,  168 

Thormohlen,  rents  St.  Thomas  from 
Denmark,  52 

Tobacco  on  St.  Thomas,  50 

Tortola,  124,  130,  133,  140,  169,  187, 
234,  237 

Tourist,  hints  for  the,  247;  clothing. 
247-249;  transportation,  249-252; 
invalid  resorts.  252 

Trade  of  St.  Thomas,  97 

Transportation  between  the  islands. 
28.  252;  to  the  islands,  249-252 

Turpentine  tree,  115 

Van  Dyke,  Jost,  234 

Venezuela's  islands  in  the  West 
Indies,  15 

"Vigilant,"  story  of  the,  217 

Virgin  Gorda,  40,  240,  241 

Virgin  Islands,  area  and  population, 
27;  commercial  value  of,  28; 
temporary  government.  29;  cus- 
toms, 30;  history,  34;  named  by 
Columbus,  40;  captured  by  Brit- 
ish, 45 

Virgin  Passage,  33 

Watch  houses  in  cane  fields,  222 
Windward  Passage,  32 

Yachting,  239 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


RENEWALS  ONLY  -  Tel.  No.  642-3405 


RECEIVED 


MAY  1 5  -68  -9  P 


LOAN  DEPT. 


u 


iSc 


&H    m  i  5 


i^lRCULATJON  nPDT. 


tCB.  nn    flpi^  1  6 


-I9ef- 


OCT  1  9  1984 


RECEIVED  B^ 


i  w.^v 


n 


^ 


V  > 


RECEIVED 


1-^ 


^^y  2  2  1985 


OCT  30 1985 


«:CC!RC  DEC  13  198b 


tnjf — H984 


CIRCUIA' 


WT0.DISC0EC16'86 


LD  21A-45m-9,'67 
(H5067sl0)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


-||||%|-*5rar-rauM  V 


^  -n  21-l00rn-6,'56 
^"§9311^10)476 


General  Library 


GENEB/lLUBBABy.u.c.  BERKELEY 


